Automatic
by LornaCat
Summary: AJ/Dean - (AU) - A few years out of high school, Dean and AJ realize they have more in common than they thought. But self-destructive Dean is about to stumble into the underground cage fighting scene, while AJ is trying to make something better out of a difficult life. A lot of characters, inspired by a mix of real life and story (and GTA).
1. Caught In The Rain

**Title:** Automatic  
**  
Summary: ** (AU) - A few years out of high school, Dean and AJ realize they have more in common than they thought. Self-destructive Dean is about to stumble into the underground cage fighting scene, while AJ is trying to make something better out of a difficult life.  
**  
Characters: **Dean/AJ, and all their friends

**Rated M** for future chapters. Language, violence, adult situations, all the good stuff.

Other stuff that you might find interesting: Roddy Piper as Dean's father, Kaitlyn, Roman & Seth play big parts. Many appearances by many characters, I've tried to fill all the roles appropriately. Some bits and pieces inspired by GTA V. Any questions, please ask.

* * *

**Automatic  
Chapter 1 - Caught In The Rain**

* * *

AJ wanted to wait for the rain to let up, but it was getting late and the storm was only getting worse. She'd get soaked on the way to the bus station no matter what, it was only a matter of how fast. Resigned to a ride home in wet clothes, AJ left through the back door of the club and began the two block sprint.

Dean was in the back seat of the luxury SUV that Roman was driving. Seth was in the passenger seat. None of them owned the vehicle. They wouldn't have it for much longer anyway.

"Hey, turn around and pull over." Dean said calmly, as if it was something they always did on pick-up runs.

"Come on man, we're late already." Roman complained half-heartedly. Seth looked around, to see whatever caught Dean's attention.

"Turn around and pull over!" Dean insisted, no explanation. "He's not gonna care if we're a few minutes late, when has he ever cared? Turn around, or I swear to god-"

Dean, never buckled in, leaned forward and reached around Roman's seat, trying to grab the wheel.

"Dude!" Roman shouted, though it was with a smile on his face. Seth laughed too. They were both used to his antics. Roman shrugged him off and swatted him away. There was no one else on the road at that hour. Just a small, girly figure running on the sidewalk about a block back. Dean clawed at Roman's shoulder again, trying to turn the wheel himself. Roman began an abrupt, illegal u-turn across five rain-slicked lanes.

"Shit!" Dean shouted as he was thrown against the opposite side of the back seat.

"That's what you get!" Roman barked jokingly.

"You're gonna get us killed!" Seth laughed.

Dean pushed a hand into the back of Seth's seat, barely able to prevent himself from falling onto the floor behind it.

"Roman drives like that," Dean said, voice strained as he righted himself with sore muscles. "And I'm the one who's gonna get us killed?"

"I was talking to both of you." said Seth.

"Said the guy that jumped off a roof last week…Okay, where do I stop?" Roman interrupted himself.

"Right here, right here..."

They were a few feet past the bus station when Roman pulled over and slid to a stop on the wet road.

Dean opened his window and stuck his head out. He'd seen AJ running on the street and recognized her by her height, by the knee-high Chucks, and by the cascades of brunette hair sticking out of her hooded sweatshirt, which was pulled up against the rain.

AJ didn't notice the SUV until it was swerving back her way. The engine revved as the car fishtailed. AJ swore under her breath and kept her head down, in case it was some asshole from the club trying to yell something at her.

"AJ!" Dean shouted.

Against her better judgment, AJ looked up, not sure if she'd heard her name or not.

The rain was coming down hard. Dean's face was already dripping wet, and he blinked away the droplets obscuring his vision.

"AJ!" Dean shouted again, wiping his face and laughing because she wasn't running toward them yet. She didn't seem to recognize them.

Seth rolled down his window and joined Dean's desperate plea for her to join them.

"Get in, come on!"

"Come on!" they shouted together, banging on the side of the car like it was a getaway.

AJ recognized them then. They'd gone to the same high school, a year apart. The boys had all dropped out before their senior year, while AJ stayed and graduated. She hadn't been close to any of them. She'd barely spoken to them outside of any classes they may have taken together. She was surprised they knew who she was, let alone recognized her in this weather.

After a few seconds' hesitation, AJ jogged toward the car and reached for the curb side rear door. Dean slid to the other side of the back seat as AJ rushed to get into the car and out of the rain. It was quiet in there. Once AJ slammed the door shut behind herself, she could feel the cost of luxury around her.

"Wow." was her first comment as she pushed the hood from her head. "I feel like I might ruin the seats."

Roman looked at Dean in the rearview mirror.

"It's just water." Dean told AJ, ignoring Roman's look.

She turned to him and smirked shyly, pushing the hair from her face, the few wet strands that had not been protected by her hood.

"We figured you could use a ride home." Dean explained.

"Thanks." said AJ, in a hesitant tone. She was hoping they wouldn't give her shit about the club she'd just left. She was nervous enough about her parents finding out. Either the guys hadn't noticed, or they didn't care, because it wasn't mentioned for the rest of the trip. Probably the best choice for a random car ride home, since they didn't talk to anyone from school anymore either.

"Where to?" Roman asked.

AJ looked up at the rearview mirror and caught his gaze.

"Do you know where the strip mall on 8th is?"

"The one with the crazy donut shop?" Seth chimed in.

"Yeah, it's right near there, I can tell you where to turn."

Roman checked for traffic and pulled away from the curb.

"If it's too out of the way, you don't have to take me all the way there." AJ added.

"Nah, it's fine." Dean insisted. "We've got all night, right Roman?"

"It's totally fine." Roman assured AJ, smirking in the mirror at both of the backseat passengers. "It's actually on the way to where we're going, don't worry about it."

They were all quiet as Roman hit the left turn signal and started off in a new direction. Rain kept pelting the windshield, the wipers barely able to keep up with the torrent.

"Your car break down or something?" Dean asked AJ. His tone was dry, and even though AJ didn't know them all that well, she knew Dean was teasing her.

"I don't have one." AJ answered wryly. "I'm saving up, though."

"Yeah, me too."

Seth snickered from the front seat. AJ felt like she was missing part of an inside joke.

"We can't all have luxury sedans, dickwad." Dean kicked the back corner of Seth's seat.

"Dude, don't kick the seats!" Roman scolded him, more serious that time.

"Sorry." Dean said, more to AJ than to Roman, since he'd had to get past one of her little calves to hit Seth.

"It's okay." she told Dean, right before succumbing to a yawn.

"Just getting off work?" Dean asked.

AJ nodded. "I wait tables. It was a long night."

"More power to you. Customer service isn't easy."

"Seriously." AJ commented quietly, picking at a thread that dangled from her ripped jeans.

She wasn't sure what to say to them. She was tired, and she'd spent all of her flirtatiousness waiting those tables and earning tips from slimy weirdos.

Dean watched her, looking at her closely for the first time. He remembered sitting next to her in Spanish 2 for a few days, before he got kicked out and dropped the class. She used to chuckle under her breath when he messed with the teacher. She'd always been cute.

"I was a short order cook for about a week." said Dean.

AJ looked over at him, smiling softly and politely. He stared back, not afraid of eye contact.

"They demoted me to dishwasher after one day." he said.

AJ chuckled silently, just like she had in their Spanish class.

"Then what happened?" Roman prompted him sarcastically.

"I quit!" Dean reminded him.

"You didn't quit, you got fired!" Seth corrected. "For ripping the hose out of the wall."

"Hey!" Dean called back. "I decided to quit, and THEN I ripped the hose off the wall. They just happened to fire me before I could get the words out."

"It was a symbolic 'I quit.'" Seth conceded.

"Yeah, that." said Dean. AJ was showing a genuine smile now, amused by the group story, the details of which only a close friend would remember and call you out.

"I can't afford to lose my job right now." AJ said, teasing him back.

Dean laughed inwardly. "I couldn't afford it then either." he drawled. "Good thing I have responsible friends lookin' out for me."

"What's that? You still owe me money?" Seth asked, apparently hearing different voices.

"I don't do well in tight spaces unless I'm allowed to hit something." Dean explained, once again ignoring his friends in favor of chatting with AJ.

"You were a boxer, right?" she asked.

"Aww, she remembers." Dean grinned, lightly tapping the side of her sneaker with the toe of his black boot.

AJ smiled and shook her head, giving another silent chuckle. "I'm surprised you remembered me." she said.

"Your shoes gave you away." Dean said, still smiling. "Nah, I remember you. We didn't talk much, but I remember. I'm still boxing, though. Not very well, but...I'm still trying."

"Is that where you got the black eye?" AJ asked, craning her neck so she could see the left side of his face better. It was dark in the back seat, but every time they passed under a street light she could see the discoloration around his eye socket.

"Yeah..." Dean turned his head so she could see. She inspected the gnarly bruise with the calm indifference of a fellow athlete. When he reached up to touch his temple, testing the boundaries of the tender area, AJ noticed his knuckles too.

"How'd you get those?" she asked, curious about the deep red scabs on his knuckles.

"These?" Dean held both hands up, glancing at them casually before sitting back in his seat. He shrugged. "I guess I forgot to put the gloves on."

He smiled. AJ knew he was joking. There was more to the story than that. But if he didn't want to talk about it...

"You still into the martial arts stuff?" he asked her.

"Aww, you remembered." AJ echoed sarcastically.

Dean made a 'yeah, yeah' face and tapped her foot again.

"You were a little bad ass, from what I remember. How many black belts you got now?"

"None yet." AJ admitted. "I'm working on it."

"Like you're working on getting a car?" Dean teased her again.

AJ rolled her eyes and smiled in spite of herself. "Yeah."

"I bet you'd kick all our asses."

Roman chuckled to himself in the front seat. Dean was in a good mood tonight. He was always better around cute girls. It was a nice change from the recent brooding.

"Just don't give me a reason." AJ warned him jokingly.

"This is why hitchhiking is illegal, right?"

AJ laughed. "I don't think so. But you basically kidnapped me, so..."

"We have it coming?"

"Right."

"Don't worry, we'll get you home safe and sound."

"But then you'll know where I live..."

"Come on, what's not to trust?" Seth piped up from the front.

AJ furrowed her brow, trying to pick just one example from a very long list.

"Didn't you steal the principal's car once?"

"Twice." Dean said, confirming and correcting at the same time. He held up two fingers and wiggled them.

"Oh shit, I forgot about that..." Seth said, smiling proudly to himself.

AJ chuckled and shook her head again. They had somehow avoided expulsion after that prank, even after becoming folk heroes to the entire student body. The joke had been that they not only brought the car back in perfect condition, but with a full tank of gas and sparkling clean too.

"How were you not all in permanent detention?" AJ wondered aloud.

"I don't know," said Roman. "I thought we were."

His buddies laughed in response.

"Once we turned eighteen, they basically asked us to leave." said Seth.

"Which we did. Gladly." Dean added wryly.

When AJ glanced Dean's way, he widened his eyes playfully. They smiled at each other and AJ turned to look out the window.

"Once you're past the mall, it'll be two lights and then a right turn." she said to the driver.

"Cool." Roman replied. "Shouldn't take too long this late at night."

"You like working late?" asked Dean, stealing AJ's attention back from the road.

She shrugged. "Not really. But it pays well."

"Long as you're getting what you need..."

"Yeah..."

They drove right through the heart of the city on their way to AJ's house. It was nearly half the drive just to get downtown.

"You work pretty far from home, for a girl that doesn't own her own car." Dean remarked.

"Nosy." AJ said in response. She smirked, and Dean grinned. Some distant thunder made them all glance up at the sky. "I usually carpool." AJ explained, voice muffled by the window as she peered outside. "Or take the bus." She shrugged again. "It's been worth it so far."

"We do what we gotta do." said Dean.

"And what do _you_ do?"

"I drive for my dad, when he needs help."

"He drives limousines, right?"

"He's got a cab company too. I fill in sometimes."

"Oh, no wonder you're so good at this. Picking up random people off the street."

Dean made a face of mock frustration. "Damn. Should've been running the meter."

"Right turn?" Roman asked, slowing down at another intersection.

"Right." AJ confirmed. "Actually, you can just drop me off here."

"You sure?" asked Roman.

"It's still raining," Seth pointed out, even though it had stopped a few minutes ago.

"We got you, don't worry about it." Dean chimed in.

"Okay, okay." AJ conceded with a smile on her face.

"I hope you like having your arm twisted." Dean joked quietly. AJ glanced at him, and her smile briefly widened. Dean craned his neck and looked out his window, gauging her neighborhood. It looked like his own neighborhood: working class, busy streets, with pockets of nice residential areas. Families that endured and stuck together in spite of their circumstances, helping each other to protect against break-ins and vandalism. Dean and his friends did not take cars from neighborhoods like that.

AJ told Roman to turn down a short street in one of those residential pockets.

"The blue one." AJ sat up straight with her bag in her hands.

Roman pulled over in front of a small, one-story home. A small patch of grass, surrounded by a ragged chain link fence, served as its front yard.

"Thanks, guys. That shaved about an hour off my trip home."

"Any time," said Roman. "Seriously."

AJ took the time to get her house key out of her bag before exiting the car.

"I have to be stealthy now." she explained. "I don't want to wake my parents up."

"I just got the strongest urge to lay on the car horn..." said Seth.

"You should never say things like that to us," Roman told her. "Not when we're in a car."

"We're bad people in cars." said Dean.

"I swear to god, I would come back and kill all three of you." AJ warned. She didn't know them well enough to know if they were serious or not.

Dean nodded upward in AJ's direction. "You ever want to look at some cheap cars," he said. "Stop by my dad's garage. He finds stuff at police auctions all the time, perfect condition. He usually soups 'em up and turns them over pretty quick, but I bet he'd give you one if you asked. He's got a weakness for pretty girls."

AJ froze up, smiling awkwardly at his compliment and invitation. She rested her hand on the door handle, hesitating.

"Maybe." she said lightly. "Sometime."

"Then you won't have to get kidnapped in the middle of the night by three weirdos." said Dean.

"I appreciate it, really." AJ tilted her head and smiled. "Thanks again for the ride." she said to all three of them as she opened the door.

"Have a good night." said Dean. "Don't wake Daddy." he added with an impish smile.

AJ shook her head and smiled one last time, and she said goodbye to Roman and Seth.

They watched her run up the walk and onto the porch, where she could tip-toe to the door and slip the key inside the lock.

"Damn. She got cute." Roman commented.

"She's _been_ cute." Dean corrected him.

"You should have gotten her number." said Roman, glancing over his shoulder at Dean.

"Loser." Seth added casually.

"Like I'm gonna put her on the spot with you two in the car." said Dean. "I see her in the neighborhood sometimes. I'll see her again."

They were all still watching AJ. She was having trouble with the lock.

"Should we wait?" Roman asked.

"Nah, it's creepy." said Dean.

"We gotta make sure she gets inside." Seth said in an exaggerated, worried tone.

"You're gonna creep her out, ya fuckin creeps!" Dean mock yelled at them.

Seth started to roll his window down, as if he was going to shout something to AJ. Dean immediately jumped him from behind, putting an arm around his neck and closing a fist around a clump of his hair.

Seth fought back, grunting as he laughed and shoved an elbow hard into Dean's face. Dean grimaced and barely moved; the pain in his jaw was as close a friend to him as the two guys in the car. Roman pulled away from the curb just as AJ got her front door open and slipped inside.

"Stop with the fucking horseplay, already!" Roman yelled. Dean let go immediately, leaving Seth to rub his neck back to normal.

"Jeez, Dad." said Seth, making fun of Roman as if he hadn't just been the victim of a half-hearted choking attempt.

"It's got white upholstery and shit!" said Roman, still worried first and foremost about the car.

"We get iiiit!" Dean yelled back, snickering along with Seth when he was done.

"Why do we all turn into Annoying Dad when it's our turn to drive?" asked Seth.

"He'll take the damages out of our cut." Roman reminded them. "And Santino always asks who drove."

Being in the driver's seat automatically made them the responsible one. Of course that always caused the other two to overcompensate and act like idiots in response. The universe had to maintain its balance somehow.

"Oh my god..." Roman groused, checking the time and his mental map of the city.

"We'll only be a half-hour late, relax." said Dean.

"Come on, show a little hustle." said Seth, the other devil on Roman's shoulder.

"The two of you, I swear to god..."

"That's it," said Dean. "Roman's not allowed to drive for a month. Not 'til his balls grow back."

"Dean!" Seth shouted. "Leave your father alone."

Roman tried hard to hide it but it almost made him laugh. Setting his jaw, he shook his head and tried not to show it.

"Come onnnnn!" Dean growled, grabbing Roman's seat and shaking it as violently as he could without ripping it out.

Without warning, Roman stepped on the gas, pedal to the metal, and they peeled off on the wet road. If AJ had still been outside, she might have heard the excited hollering of his passengers as they took off at dangerous speeds toward Santino's garage.

* * *

Once she was inside her parents' house, AJ stayed in the hallway and unzipped her knee-high sneakers as quietly as she could. The TV was on in the living room. It was always on, day or night. More indicative of someone being home, than whether or not they were awake.

AJ tip-toed toward the kitchen. Her father was snoring on the couch, the tray from his microwave dinner still out on the coffee table with the leftovers dried inside. He already had a blanket pulled up to his chin, otherwise AJ would have tucked him in herself. At least he was resting. Sometimes he stayed up all night.

She filled a glass with water from the kitchen sink, then made her way toward her bedroom, chugging the water as she went. She set the glass down gently on her dresser, and changed into an old t-shirt and cotton shorts. After taking out her contacts, she went to go check on Mom.

The TV in her parents' bedroom was on too, the volume down low. It was more about the comforting blue glow than entertainment. AJ was relieved to find her mother sound asleep. Neither AJ nor her father could ever know how much time her mother spent in bed during the day. They spent most of their days working, or in AJ's case, out of the house with Kaitlyn. They weren't even sure what was wrong with Mrs. Foley. Neither were the doctors. There was a long list of ailments to choose from, but they needed to know exactly why she was so sick, so they could prove to the insurance company that it wasn't a pre-existing condition. No one wanted to pay those bills. Not after she'd been so sick for so long.

AJ had been dreaming of her bed all day, of curling up, sleeping in and spending all of the next day out of the heels she wore at work. But seeing her mother sleeping so peacefully, AJ couldn't resist curling up beside her, if only for a few minutes.

* * *

The boys arrived at Santino's Garage fifteen minutes later. One of the bay doors had been left open just for them. It closed behind them after Roman pulled in and turned off the engine.

"You're late." Santino called out from his office, in his thick Italian accent. For a split second, Dean's stomach twisted with panic. Then he remembered Santino was crazy and loved them unconditionally, like the nephews he never had.

They all exited the car, suddenly treating it like the expensive, stolen property that it was. They closed their doors gently, gathering at the hood of the car as Santino walked out of his office and into the main area of the garage.

"Sorry, sir." Roman said. He stood up straight and offered no excuses.

"I joke." Santino said, holding up his hands in a welcoming gesture. "It's no problem. I'm always here, this is my life now." He gestured around the garage and muttered something in Italian that the boys didn't understand. He owned a four bank garage with three dirty lifts and two old computers between them. Deliveries were always parked behind door number four, next to Santino's office.

"I trust you boys." Santino switched back to English. "You're good boys. Well, you're bad boys, taking cars and bringing them here. But it's good for me, so I like you. Show me what you got."

"L.E.," Roman said, taking the lead since he'd picked this one out. "White leather interior, lots of post-factory mods. Check out the dash displays..."

Santino opened the driver side door and peeked inside. He only glanced around for a second or two before pulling back out.

"Very nice." the older man said. He checked the outside distractedly, already pleased by what he saw. "Very nice, always. You come back next week sometime, I might have more work for you. Good?"

The three young men all agreed that it would be great.

"Okay, good. I get your money. For this time, and for last, like I promise. Stay here."

The boys all glanced at each other, breathing mental sighs of relief. Santino was usually pretty reasonable, but they'd seen him angry once, and once was more than enough.

"Told you we didn't have to worry." Seth teased Roman under his breath.

"See what happens next time you drive." Roman warned him. "I'm gonna put muddy foot prints all over that shit."

Santino returned with a paper bag full of neat stacks for each of them. Dean got his last, and Santino didn't let go when he went to take it.

"Don't spend it all in one place." said Santino, as if it had some deeper meaning. Dean's face must have contorted into a weird expression, because Santino broke into forced laughter, and patted him hard on the shoulder.

"Like an old gangster movie!" Santino said to the other two. "He look so scared! Okay, you go now. Spend the money on drugs and hookers, I don't care!"

The boys all shared a look, and left Santino muttering in Italian as he walked back to his office.

With pockets full of cash and no ride, they decided to save their money and walk home. The rain had stopped completely, and the asphalt smelled good.

"Can I crash tonight?" Dean asked the two others.

"Of course." said Roman.

"The Dean Suite is always available." Seth agreed, referring of course to the old couch in their living room.

Seth and Roman had a small but decent apartment together, and Dean's home was a few miles further down the road. The only reason he hadn't moved in with them was his father. No matter how many nights Dad spent driving while Dean spent the night at Seth and Roman's place, the thought of officially splitting up the last remaining members of the Piper clan was unthinkable.

Now that their errand was done and they were all paid up, Dean's thoughts drifted back to AJ. By simple deduction he'd figured out where she worked, and he wondered if she really did just wait tables there. She could make a hell of a lot more money doing that other stuff.

"You ever regret dropping out of school?" Dean asked his buds. To them it seemed out of the blue, but then again Dean was always coming out of left field with the things he did and said.

"You kidding?" asked Roman. He rose one incredulous eyebrow and glanced Dean's way.

"I'm serious."

"Yeah, I really missed out on being named Homecoming King." said Seth.

Roman chuckled at that answer, giving his own a little more thought.

"Sometimes I wish I'd stayed and graduated…" Roman said. "But then I think about what I'd be doing right now, and it's always the same thing."

"Hangin out with us douche-nozzles?" Seth guessed the last part of Roman's confession.

"Jacking cars," said Roman. "Training at a gym or a dojo. Doing whatever the fuck I want. You know?"

"Yeah…" Dean said, obviously deep in his own thoughts.

"Why?" Roman asked. "Do you regret it?"

"Naw. I mean, I think about it. Mostly just the social aspect of it."

Roman and Seth both smirked.

"You mean girls?" Seth asked.

"You know me too well." Dean said sarcastically, smiling mirthlessly as he so often did.

"Already in love." Seth teased him. "I told you you should have gotten her number."

"Such a softy." Roman chimed in.

Dean answered by skipping a few steps ahead, turning around and raising both middle fingers as he walked backwards. Seth and Roman stopped, and looked at each other.

"Are we doin' this?" Seth asked Roman.

"He asked for it." Roman pointed out.

"Oh shit." Dean muttered when he realized what they were about to do. He immediately took off running, so he could get a head start. He knew they wouldn't stop chasing him until they got home.

* * *

At five in the morning, AJ's dad gently shook her awake.

"Time to go to bed, sweetheart." he suggested groggily, still half asleep himself.

"Hi, Dad." AJ said sleepily. She pushed her hair from her face and sat up, vacating the spot next to her mother. His checkered flannel shirt was a blur without her glasses on.

"Thanks for keeping her warm, honey."

AJ hugged him on her way out.

"Love you." she murmured.

"Love you too." he replied. He was barely aware of AJ as she shuffled toward her room. "I'll see you in the morning."

Once she was in her bed, AJ covered her head with her blankets and fell back asleep. No dreams. Just dead sleep, and rest.


	2. Working Out

**Automatic**  
**Chapter 2 - Working Out**

* * *

AJ's sleep was interrupted when she felt extra weight shifting her mattress.

"Wake up, sleepy heeead..." Kaitlyn sang quietly. She was on her knees, head low and next to AJ's, so the first thing AJ would see when she opened her eyes was Kaitlyn's big, goofy grin.

"Oh my god..." AJ groaned sleepily. "What..."

"Your dad let me in." said Kaitlyn. She bounced the bed a few times, as if it would get AJ excited to get out from under the cozy covers. They worked out together every morning, with severe illness and death being the only acceptable excuses not to.

AJ looked up at her with a flat, tired expression. "You know I worked last night, right?"

"Yup." said Kaitlyn. "You still need to get up though."

AJ tried to turn over and put her pillow over her face, but Kaitlyn laid down over her waist and stopped her. AJ made a childish sound of frustration and covered her face with her arm instead.

"I'm taking a day off." AJ groaned loudly.

"You can't." said Kaitlyn, still perky. "We promised."

"Please?" AJ said mock sweetly, lifting her head and opening her eyes. "Oh my god," she said flatly when she saw how Kaitlyn was laying across her. "Get your butt out of my face."

"What, you don't like my butt?" Kaitlyn asked with feigned innocence, pushing it closer.

AJ laughed and pushed her away. Kaitlyn fought back, pushing even closer. AJ let out a strained squeal, the air in her lungs getting stuck in her nose.

"Made you snort!" Kaitlyn teased, waggling her butt.

"Get off!" AJ shouted with the last of her breath and pushed with the last of her strength.

Kaitlyn let herself fall over, her arm the only part left draped over AJ's legs.

"So graceful." AJ said to the heap near her feet.

"We can go to Starbucks first?" Kaitlyn offered.

"Aw, you spoil me." AJ smiled sarcastically at her best friend. "You're just excited because it's a Randy day."

"Um, ew?" said Kaitlyn, making an exaggerated, I-can't-believe-you-just-said-that face. "Boys have cooties, you know that."

"Grown up cooties are called STD's." AJ reminded her.

"Haha!" Kaitlyn laughed with exaggerated zeal, then abruptly flattened her smile. "So clever."

"Struck a nerve there, didn't I?" AJ smiled and checked her clock, squinting at blurry numbers.

"Come on," Kaitlyn urged, kipping up off the bed and back to her feet. She pulled up the low slung sweatpants higher on her wide hips and pulled the hem of her shirt down over them. "I don't want to be late."

"Okay." AJ sat up and reached for her glasses. "I'm gonna change and brush my teeth. Put my contacts in. Gimme ten minutes?"

* * *

There was usually a moment in every sparring session when Dean let his mental vision get all blurry. He'd lose track of his target, he'd lose all awareness of who he was hitting, and his coach would say his name in that sharp tone to bring him back to reality.

"Ambrose!"

Dean stopped and focused his eyes on the guy standing across from him in the ring. It was like coming back from another dimension. He knew he'd been wailing on someone. He felt echoes of relentless fury in his brain, like a friend saying _See you later._ When his eyes focused, he saw Zack looking back at him with an angry expression, adjusting his head gear back into place. Dean knew that look well. He inspired it in everyone he met.

"You black out again?" Coach Michaels said, harsh and sarcastic as he climbed into the ring. Dean turned from Zack and walked to the corner of the ring while Shawn checked on his potentially injured student.

"Sorry, Coach." Dean mumbled.

"No you're not." Shawn shot back. He walked over to Dean, and Dean looked up into a very disappointed expression. "You damn near took his head off." Shawn began to take off Dean's head gear, rocking his student's head back and forth as he angrily undid the fastenings. "Go home. And don't come back til you're ready to box."

Dean's eyes hardened. "What the hell was I just doing?" he asked coldly.

"Beating on a sparring partner. With no regard for safety, or respect for anything I'm trying to teach you."

"I'm sorry to break it to you, Coach," Dean spoke slowly, a vindictive, mirthless smile spreading on his face. "But hitting each other is kinda the point of this whole endeavor."

"Shut your mouth and get out of here. I'm sick of the attitude, too. Clean up your act or don't show up, understand?"

"Whatever." Dean muttered as his coach unlaced his right glove. Dean took care of the left side himself and threw them both in the corner of the ring before he slid out between the mat and the bottom rope.

He felt the familiar rage building but he refused to let the coach see it. He could only channel it so much. They'd had the conversation before, about that loss of control. There was no sportsmanship in a straight up murder. That was why coach had zero tolerance for it now. Dean had been warned twice already. It wasn't safe, and it wasn't fair to the other students. They weren't there to be Dean's punching bag. Coach begged Dean to pull back and concentrate, but losing himself in the fight was what Dean _did_. It was the only escape he had.

His best friends were in the corner of the small gym, doing bag work, now frozen in place while they watched the scene play out.

"Dean!" Roman called after him.

"Come on, man!" Seth chided, both of them having witnessed the spat between teacher and student.

Dean ignored them both, and remained expressionless as he sauntered out of the gym. He left through the back, slamming the metal door against the wall as he went. His vision was narrowed, limited to finding things he could punch, kick, and utterly destroy. He had to vent the rage. He felt like he was going to explode if he didn't hurt something.

The dumpster and garbage cans behind the gym were a perfect target. Dean ran at the dumpster, his right hand forming a tight fist that he drove into the thick metal wall with full force. The dull clang did not do justice to the pain that blossomed in his knuckles. He felt it go up through his arm all the way to his teeth, and it only made him more angry. He punched the dumpster again, and again, and then he kicked it, threw his shoulder against it, as if he were trying to tip the entire thing over. It didn't budge. Dean turned his attention to the plastic garbage cans a few feet away. By the time he was done, he had one in three separate pieces, lid detached and the rest of it close to shattered.

Finally satisfied, Dean stopped and took a deep breath. He crouched in the middle of the alley, holding his head in his shaking hands.

"Shit, shit, shit…" he muttered, over and over again. His knuckles were torn open again, rivulets of blood running down over his taped wrists. He was surrounded by garbage from the bags he'd ripped open while he was busy tearing the containers apart. He felt like he belonged there, that he was part of the landscape of garbage. Pure waste. Unwanted, discarded, rotten waste.

After a few minutes of staring into the pavement with unfocused eyes, Dean realized he was lucky no one had come out after him, either to check on him or yell at him. Coach didn't want to see his face right now, and his friends knew better than to interrupt him when he was pissed. He wished he had the ability to listen to them when they told him to calm down. It was simply unstoppable sometimes.

Dean stood and straightened. The pounding of his heart had slowed back to its normal pace. Both of his hands were throbbing. Dean found a relatively clean sheet of newspaper and wiped the excess blood off his hands and wrists. He imagined briefly that he was the piece of paper, when he crumpled it up and threw it in the open dumpster. Stuffing his hands in the pockets of his hoodie, Dean decided to walk the two miles home. Maybe his dad would have a few beers left in the fridge. Or maybe he'd just sleep this off.

* * *

AJ yelled as she spun around and kicked her foot above her shoulder line, catching a padded glove with her heel.

"Close." said Punk. "You gotta work on your aim."

"Sorry." AJ said. She re-situated herself on both feet, looking at the floor and analyzing what she'd done wrong.

"Don't apologize," Punk said with an amused half smile. "Just do it better next time."

AJ cracked a smile and nodded, grateful for his easygoing nature.

"The power is there," Punk explained. "But if you miss a guy's head, he's going to take all that power and use it against you. Here, do it again. I'll show you."

AJ went through the exact same kicking motion, except this time Punk played the part of a mobile target, and he knew exactly what was coming. He dodged her foot and grabbed her ankle with both hands, pulling her in the direction she was already moving. Using her own momentum, Punk pulled her down to the floor. AJ hit the padded blue mat with a grunt.

"Ow." she said wryly.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, that was just my pride talking."

Punk chuckled and held a hand out for AJ to grab.

"That'll be the lesson for today." he said as he pulled her up.

"Beware of teacher?" AJ joked as she brushed herself off.

"Work on your aim." Punk corrected her with a smile. "We've got fifteen minutes left. If you hit it square in the center five times in a row I'll let you practice some takedowns on me."

"Five?" AJ asked, doubtful. Punk slipped the pad over his right hand and smacked the surface with his left.

"Five." he said. "You can do it. Just concentrate. And don't kick me in the face."

AJ smiled and got into position, psyching herself up for some accurate kicks.

_I would never kick that face..._she thought to herself. She really had to concentrate after that.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, AJ helped put away the equipment she'd used, and looked around the gym to see what Kaitlyn was up to. AJ was not surprised by what she saw, only by the length of time that had passed since first seeing Kaitlyn in that same position.

"Is it just me," Punk asked. "Or has Randy been helping her stretch that leg for the last fifteen minutes?"

AJ felt a slight heat in her cheeks, embarrassed on Kaitlyn's behalf. She hoped it didn't show.

"No," AJ sighed. "It's not just you."

Randy was on top of Kaitlyn, laying the weight of his upper body on her right leg, the foot of which was up over her head.

"Should I say something to him?" Punk offered.

"No, I'm pretty sure she's fine with it..."

Right on cue, Kaitlyn squeezed her eyes shut and moaned in overly sexualized agony.

"Ohhh god, it hurts so good..." she joked.

"There's no better feeling, right?" Randy replied, flashing a pleased smirk at his student.

AJ glanced around at the other people in the room. She knew Kaitlyn didn't care, but still...Punk had already noticed. He couldn't be the only one.

After another minute, Randy slowly straightened and let Kaitlyn's leg down from his shoulder.

"Thanks, Randy." said Kaitlyn, just laying there with a huge smile on her face as he walked away.

"My pleasure." Randy said. The look in his eyes as he glanced over his shoulder at her said a lot more.

AJ walked over slowly, avoiding contact with Kaitlyn's fitness instructor.

"Kaitlyn." AJ whispered, leaning over Kaitlyn's body.

"Hmm?" Kaitlyn replied in a dreamy voice, opening her eyes slowly.

"I threw up in my mouth a little just now."

"Really?" Kaitlyn asked at a normal volume, scrunching up her nose in mock confusion. "Cause I almost came." she said. Randy was far enough away that he couldn't hear anything said in the room, though at this point Kaitlyn was ready to tell him every dirty thought in her head.

AJ closed her eyes and shook her head subtly.

"That's not…just, no..." AJ stammered jokingly.

"Help me up." said Kaitlyn, extending her hand.

"Okay, since Randy couldn't be bothered…"

The gym where Punk and Randy worked was only a few blocks from Kaitlyn's apartment. AJ walked her home, and gave her a tight hug goodbye.

"Thanks for coming out today." said Kaitlyn. "I know you were tired."

"Thanks for forcing me. It felt good."

"You mean _Punk_ felt good."

AJ grinned. "Shut up."

"Aww, cutie." Kaitlyn smiled when AJ rolled her eyes and tried to play it off. "Okay, I'll pick you up for work tonight. Don't fall asleep!"

"I won't."

* * *

AJ would walk the rest of the way home. The weather was perfect for a post-workout hike through the neighborhood - cool and damp, the sky clouded over but no rain yet.

Half an hour after the peak of his outburst, Dean wasn't angry anymore. He was numb for a little while, while he walked alone, until the shame and regret began to seep back into his system. Even if he never spoke to his coach again, he'd eventually have to face Seth and Roman. He knew they'd forgive him, no question. But that was beside the point. He trudged home, staring at the sidewalk in front of him with a scowl on his face. Traffic was light in the neighborhood. It was a good way to cool down and be alone in a city full of people.

The leaves were just starting to fall. It added an extra shuffle to the walking sounds. It was so quiet and peaceful that it was easy to hear someone else's sneakers scraping the sidewalk. Dean looked up and saw AJ in a hoodie and sweatpants, walking toward him on the same side of the street a block ahead. She was lost in her own thoughts, head down, eyes on the ground. He almost let her pass without saying anything, but the closer she got, the more irresistable it became.

"Hey." he said while they were passing each other. AJ looked up at the sound of his voice. They both slowed and stopped, smiling at the coincidence of running into each other so soon. How many times must they have passed each other on the street and never noticed?

"Hey!" AJ replied, half smiling as her brow furrowed. "Where'd you come from?"

"The gym?" Dean said. He stuck his elbows out, calling attention to his sports wear without taking his bloody, cut up hands out of his pockets.

"Oh." AJ smiled. "Me too."

Dean's squeezed his fists anxiously, but he didn't let the anxiety show on his face. No need to show that side of him to a nice girl like AJ.

"I thought you wouldn't be caught dead without your Chucks." he said, jutting his chin out toward her feet. Good thing he had other body parts to gesture with.

"I knowww, don't tell anyone." AJ joked, grinning shyly. Dean found himself smiling in spite of everything that had happened that morning. Like a little ray of sunshine peeking out through the clouds, AJ had that effect on him.

"Your secret's safe with me." he said.

AJ's shy smile remained. She shifted her weight and re-situated the strap of her duffel bag on her shoulder. She wanted to keep talking but didn't quite know what to say. They were still in the awkward stage of getting to know each other.

"I got some friends coming over later," Dean said, trying to sound casual. "You should come hang out. You can bring Kaitlyn, or anyone else. We usually end up watching TV. Or sparring."

Dean's half smile at the last suggestion made AJ grin.

"Well," she said, mulling it over. "We're both working tonight, but not 'til ten. We could stop by before then?"

"Yeah, just whenever you're free." Dean agreed, hope rising. "I'll be there the rest of the day. Most of the time people show up around three or four. We'll have pizza, music, bad movies." Dean made a face like he was describing a fancy night out on the town. "Very exciting."

AJ giggled. "Cool...where do you live?"

Dean gave her the address, and more importantly his number in case she couldn't find the house. AJ stored the information in her phone, feeling Dean watching her as she typed.

"You better come." Dean said. "You've got my hopes up now."

AJ smiled and kept her eyes on her phone. "As long as Kaitlyn will bring me over..."

"That's right, no wheels. Parents won't let you borrow?"

AJ shook her head and glanced up at him. "Once in a while. But we only have one car right now, and my dad works a lot."

Dean nodded. AJ got nervous looking into his eyes for too long, and fiddled with her phone to kill some time.

"If Kaitlyn can't come, I'll send a limo for you." Dean offered.

AJ giggled again at the image.

"I'm serious! I'll make my dad come get you. We've got a town car just sitting in the garage."

"Don't do that, we'll be there."

Dean smiled. "You promise?"

AJ rolled her eyes upward and moaned with hesitation.

"Oh come on," Dean urged. "You gotta promise."

"I can't promise." AJ said stubbornly.

"Why not?"

Dean looked directly into AJ's eyes and held her gaze. What had been a shy glance was now a flirtatious stare.

"I don't want to disappoint you." she said gently.

Dean shrugged. "Then don't."

AJ lost the staring contest when she looked down at her feet. She was afraid she was blushing. She kicked at a rock on the sidewalk and looked back up at him.

"Okay." she said.

Dean smiled down at her. He'd almost forgotten about the bloody fists he was hiding in his pockets. He squeezed them again, and his shoulder muscles tensed as a nervous habit.

"We'll be in the basement. Just come right in, door'll be unlocked."

AJ nodded. "Should we bring anything?"

Dean shook his head. "Just your smile."

Hearing him say it caused AJ to display a big bright one just for him. Damn, it really was like sunshine. Like there were no clouds in the sky and it wasn't about to pour rain on the whole city.

Thunder rolled in the distance. As avid walkers, they both knew when it was a good idea to head indoors.

"I should go." AJ murmured, growing shy again.

"Me too." said Dean. "Got a long way to go."

"You should run," said AJ. "It's gonna rain any minute."

"I don't mind. I could use a shower."

AJ cracked up and tilted her head. "Yeah, me too."

Dean smiled. "I'll see you later." he said, shuffling around her as they went in opposite directions.

She couldn't be sure, since she didn't want to get caught peeking, but she felt like he was watching as she walked away.

Once she was a few blocks up, she took her phone out of her bag and texted Kaitlyn about their new plans. Kaitlyn called her back immediately, demanding to know what was up.

"Party? Boys? What the heck is going on here, are you making friends without me?"

"Do you remember Dean, Seth and Roman?" AJ asked, ignoring Kaitlyn's joke freak out.

"...From school?"

"Yeah, they were a year ahead of us."

"Didn't they, like, run away and join the circus?"

AJ snorted. "No. They dropped out before senior year. Anywayyy, they gave me a ride home last night. It was raining really hard and they just saw me randomly, I guess."

"You got in a car with three strange guys and neglected to tell me this the whole time we were together this morning?"

"They're not strange. They -"

"I just remember them being sort of weird."

"They're not! They were really nice."

"Is that the party we're going to, then?"

"Yes…please?"

"What time?"

"Around five? He said four or five but we don't want to be early…"

"Right. Just a house party, right?"

"It sounded really casual."

"Okay…" Kaitlyn said slowly, already mulling over what she could wear. "And you promise they're not total weirdos?"

"You're acting like we aren't total weirdos ourselves."

"Oh, good point."

"Come over at four-thirty and help me pick out an outfit."

"Which one of them flirted with you, huh? I'm so curious now."

"Come over at four-thirty and I'll tell you everything!"

"Okay! God! Stop yelling at me!" Kaitlyn joked.

"…It was Dean." AJ admitted.

"OooOOooh!" Kaitlyn exclaimed, pausing before she added: "…Which one is Dean?"

"I'm hanging up." AJ announced. She could hear Kaitlyn shouting not to hang up on her as she took the phone away from her ear, and AJ laughed as she hit the end button.


	3. New Guests

**Automatic  
****Chapter 3 – New Guests**

* * *

Dean felt his phone vibrate just as he was walking through the side door of his father's house. When he pulled the phone out of his pocket, there was a picture of Seth on the ID, though most of Seth's face was obscured by a raised middle finger in the foreground. Now that Dean was all cooled off he didn't hesitate answering.

"Hey." said Dean.

"Hey, bud." said Seth, jokingly cautious. "You kill anyone? Do we have to dispose of any bodies?"

"Nah, I took care of it."

"Seriously though, everything cool?"

"Yup."

It wasn't really a lie. There was nothing Dean wanted to talk about. Except that one thing he felt bad about.

"Was coach pissed?" he asked.

"No more than usual." said Seth. "But you're prolly running out of chances."

"He didn't go out back where the dumpster is, did he?"

"Nah, not while we were there. Why?"

"Don't worry about it."

"Arright..." Seth said reluctantly. He knew Dean wouldn't elaborate. "Is tonight still happening?"

"Yeah, come on over. I invited AJ and her friend."

"What? When?"

"I saw AJ walking-"

"You stalking her already?"

"I told you I've seen her before around the neighborhood."

"It's fate, huh?"

"Yeah." Dean drawled. "She said she's coming over. I better clean the place up."

"We can help when we get there."

"Get your asses over here, then."

"We're comin', we're comin'..."

* * *

"We need a code word." said Kaitlyn. "In case it sucks and we want to leave."

"Good idea." said AJ.

They got out of Kaitlyn's car, which was parked about a block away from Dean's address, and checked their reflections in the windows.

"How about…'Nintendo'?" Kaitlyn suggested.

AJ hmm'ed skeptically. "What if they're playing video games?"

"If they're playing video games, it probably won't suck."

"We'll just say we have to call our moms or something."

"Ooh, classic."

* * *

Zack slipped in through the side door right before the girls got there.

"Anybody home?" he called out, going straight for the kitchen fridge. He was rooting around for the good stuff when Dean jogged up from the basement.

Zack turned to see who it was. He straightened up, one hand lingering on the refrigerator door and he puffed his chest out subconsciously, like he wanted to warn Dean off before he tried anything.

Dean scratched the back of his head, and made a strained facial expression as he avoided eye contact and swallowed his pride. They weren't best friends, but they hung out a lot. Zack was a nice kid. Nobody wanted things to be awkward.

"Hey." Dean greeted him.

"Hey." Zack said.

"Sorry about today." said Dean. He peeked at Zack's face.

Zack frowned and nodded, satisfied by the acknowledgement alone. He didn't know Dean quite as well as Seth and Roman did, but he was beginning to learn. At this point he knew not to take Dean's outbursts personally. That didn't help when he was getting punched in the face, but Dean was a pretty cool guy otherwise.

"It's alright." Zack said, shrugging one shoulder. His serious expression broke into a goofy smile. "I should have kept my hands up, right?"

Dean chuckled and waved for him to follow.

"Don't take my dad's beer, we got stuff downstairs."

"Oh, sweet."

"And we got girls coming, so…"

"Hey," Zack put his hands up. "I know how to act around the ladies."

"…..Right."

"Will there be enough for -"

"Nope." Dean said immediately.

"That's cold, bro. You're gonna hook me up though, right?"

"I don't work miracles."

Zack laughed, thoroughly amused by their exchange. With his back to Zack, Dean smirked to himself since he wasn't really joking. As they walked toward the basement door, Zack glanced out the kitchen window, his head moving back as his eyebrows rose.

"Damn. You weren't kidding."

Zack gestured with his chin toward the side door. Dean turned to look. Kaitlyn and AJ were outside, walking up to the side of the house. They were dressed casually, in form fitting jeans and tees with jackets to keep the chill away, and they looked good. They didn't have to try very hard.

AJ looked up at Dean's house. She couldn't help comparing it to her own. The two-story structure was bigger than AJ's one-story, but it was also older, and just as run down as hers. She found it comforting and familiar.

With girly hesitance, AJ carefully opened the door. She looked sheepish when she spotted Dean.

"Heyyy." she said, jokingly awkward.

"Don't be shy." said Dean, waving them both inside as a smile formed at the mere sight of her. "Make yourselves at home."

Zack introduced himself to AJ, and his face lit up when he went to shake Kaitlyn's hand.

"Hey, I remember you!" said Zack.

"Hey, Zack." Kaitlyn grinned and giggled softly when Zack leaned down to give her a friendly hug.

"You two know each other?" Dean asked. AJ was equally surprised.

"We used to do karate at the rec center when we were kids." Zack explained, chopping Kaitlyn playfully across the arm with stiff hands. Kaitlyn chopped back.

"Small world, huh?" Dean asked AJ.

"I think it's this town." AJ said wryly.

"Wise woman." said Dean.

"You ever get a belt?" Zack asked Kaitlyn.

"Nah, I gave up after, like, a year."

"Yeah, me too."

"I guess we weren't very good at it." Kaitlyn joked.

"Guess not. But you're no stranger to the gym, I see." Zack said approvingly.

_Clever son of a bitch_, Dean thought to himself. A 'you must work out' comment was a free pass to check her out. Even if he sounded like a freakin' dork.

"You better watch out." Dean warned Zack. "Either one of these ladies could bench you."

"Get outta here." Zack said, as if Dean was serious.

They all went downstairs - Dean in front, AJ and Kaitlyn in the middle, with Zack as the caboose.

"We've got some new guests." Dean announced to the small gathering. "And they brought their pet monkey with them."

Seth was putting a game in, and he glanced up at the same time as Roman and two other friends. They were all in sweats and t-shirts, like they were just coming from or planning on going to the gym.

"You know Seth and Roman," said Dean.

"Hey." The boys said to the girls, glad to see AJ again, and Kaitlyn for the first time in years. Kaitlyn definitely recognized them now.

"This is Darren and Justin." Dean continued, letting the girls introduce themselves to the other guys in the room.

After introductions were made, AJ glanced around the room and saw a bunch of blue gym mats leaning against the wall. Maybe this _was_ their gym?

Subtly – at least, he thought so – Dean made gestures for Justin and Darren to give up their seats, so the newcomers could have a spot on the couches. They tried not to roll their eyes as they complied.

"You want the first round?" Roman asked Kaitlyn, who happened to take a seat on the same couch. He held the controller out to her, and she smiled when they made eye contact.

"That's okay." Kaitlyn declined. "I'm pretty sure I suck at this game."

"You can only get better with practice." Roman reminded her.

"I'll watch you guys first." she replied. Roman shrugged, half of his mouth turned up in a casual smile.

"I guarantee you will laugh if she tries playing it." AJ added.

Kaitlyn scoffed and poked AJ's leg, knowing it was sore from her morning work out.

"Sounds like a challenge to me." said Dean.

"Oh, speaking of _bench pressing_," said Kaitlyn. "I could lift her over my head."

Seth made a sound like someone had been majorly insulted, trying to stir the pot.

"No, she's right, that's true." said AJ, rubbing her leg. She smiled impishly at Kaitlyn, whose eyes sparkled with playful competitiveness.

"I wanna see that." said Roman, now distracted from the game.

"So how do you know these guys?" Darren asked the girls, looking up at them from his new spot on the floor in front of the couch.

"We went to the same high school." said AJ.

"For a couple years." Dean added. "Before we dropped out."

"We never really hung out back then," AJ continued. "But they saw me walking home last night, and they gave me a ride."

"You got in a car with these guys?" Justin said, revealing a strong accent as he joked about his friends.

"That's what I said!" Kaitlyn chimed in.

"Naw," said Darren. "They act tough, but they're nice guys."

"Uh, except when they're punching you in the face." said Zack.

Roman and Seth chuckled to themselves under their breath, but their eyes remained on the game they were playing.

"Zack, buddy," said Dean. "I can't help what the sight of your face does to my fists."

"Wait, you were punching him for real?" asked Kaitlyn.

"We were boxing." Dean explained.

"_I_ was boxing," Zack corrected him. "You were in the murder zone, bro."

Zack, with an open bottle of beer in one hand, perched himself on the arm of the couch that Roman and Kaitlyn occupied. Seth was on Roman's left; Justin and Darren sat on the floor in front of the couch. AJ was on an old arm chair to Kaitlyn's right, and Dean chose the seat on the far left of the furniture configuration. It was technically as far from AJ as he could get, but this way he could face her straight on and watch her whenever he wanted.

"That's how we know these guys." Darren explained. "I think we've all sparred at some point, in some form or another."

"Boxing?" Kaitlyn asked.

"And wrestling." said Darren.

"He's a local champion." said Justin, pointing in Darren's direction.

"That's awesome!" said Kaitlyn. "I've been getting into kickboxing recently."

"You're definitely in the right house, then." Justin confirmed happily. "They'll try anything."

"You any good?" Roman asked Kaitlyn.

"I think so…" she said, not committing to too much. "No official competitions yet, but hopefully soon."

"Sounds like you're serious about it, at least." said Roman. "I'm impressed."

"They're my new bodyguards." Dean said to Zack. "So watch your mouth."

In response, Zack held his beer bottle near his crotch and sneered at Dean, mouthing the words 'blow me' so the girls wouldn't hear.

"What's your contact sport of choice?" Kaitlyn asked Roman. She liked the sound of his voice and wanted to hear more of it.

"I'm trying to get a mixed martial arts thing going." he said.

"You just want to kill people, don't you?" she joked in response.

"I want to know every way to kill a man, yes." Roman said, his smile widening as he glanced away from the game to look at her.

Dean snuck glances at AJ when she wasn't looking. She was following the conversation but not talking as much. She seemed to be the reserved one, while Kaitlyn was more outgoing. Sometimes his friends made fun of him for not having a type. His 'type' was whoever caught his interest, and usually when it was caught it would consume him until he connected with them one way or another. Seeing how reserved AJ was only made Dean more determined to get to know her. She'd shown up at their little house party; that was a good sign.

They spent the rest of the afternoon and early evening chatting and watching each other play. Pizza and wings were ordered and disappeared almost as fast as they arrived. Competition in the video game got heated, and the trash talk got worse the longer it went on. The boys seemed to get a lot of entertainment out of pretending they were about to kick each other's asses. The gameplay ended when Darren and Zack had their noses pressed against each other, staring into each other's eyes and trying to seem intimidating while trying (and failing) not to laugh.

"What're you gonna do, D-boy?" Zack asked his friend.

"I got nothin' to prove, Z." said Darren. "I already know I could pin you."

"You don't know shit about dick." Zack insisted.

"He knows about mine." Justin reminded them shamelessly.

"Poor choice of words there, buddy." Roman said to Zack.

Zack almost cracked up, barely maintaining his composure. Justin covered his face, not even trying to stifle his laughter. Darren remained undisturbed, confidence bolstered by his boyfriend's support.

"I knew it." said Kaitlyn, grinning at Justin. "You guys were being way too sweet to each other."

"We gonna prove something here or what?" Dean asked.

"Is that a formal challenge?" Seth answered with another question. He began to shut the game system down without an answer. The feeling in the room underwent a subtle shift. The girls looked at each other with smiles and widened eyes, wondering what they'd gotten into. They watched as the boys moved around Zack and Darren, who were still pretending to intimidate each other.

"Choose your opponents!" Roman ordered.

Seth grabbed the gym mats, and Roman began to drag the couch away from the center of the room with Kaitlyn still on it. She hopped off and helped him push it toward the wall.

"Why do I get the feeling this was going to happen no matter who won the video game?" AJ asked, yelping as Dean tipped her chair back and pulled it toward the wall with her still in the seat.

AJ tipped her head back and saw Dean looking down at her with a smile.

"Told you you're a wise woman." said Dean.

He let the chair back down slowly, and when he walked over to help Seth set up the mats, AJ noticed for the first time that his knuckles were all wrapped in white tape. The backs of his hands looked cut up and bruised too. She couldn't recall if they'd been that way the previous night. With only the intermittent street lights to illuminate the back seat, only his scabbed knuckles caught her eye. AJ looked over at Zack. His face didn't seem injured. They must have been using protective gear for their sparring, so how did Dean hurt his hands? Dean's crack about forgetting his gloves played back in her mind. AJ's curiosity was definitely piqued. She hoped she wasn't developing a thing for bad boys.


	4. Piper's Pit

**Automatic**

**Chapter 4 – Piper's Pit  
**

* * *

In the center of the room, a crude approximation of a ring had been put together. Zack and Darren jogged in place and hopped around each other, psyching themselves up. Kaitlyn sat on the arm of AJ's armchair and draped herself over the back of it.

"I kind of love these guys." Kaitlyn admitted.

"I want a good, clean fight!" Seth said to the competitors, standing between them as referee.

"Yeah, don't grab my dick." Zack joked.

"Hey!" Seth scolded him with exaggerated indignation. "I hear you trash talking again, that's an automatic DQ!"

"Oh come on, ref!" Zack complained. "You should have heard the things he was saying!"

"About your mom." Roman added quietly, almost subliminally.

"About your mom!" Zack repeated to Seth.

"No, about YOUR mom." Roman said to Zack. Dean laughed to himself and shook his head.

"Ref!" Zack shouted, realizing what Roman had done. "Kick him out, he's heckling the talent."

"Heckling from the audience is allowed." Seth informed him.

"Encouraged, even." Dean added. They were obviously biased.

Darren backed up toward Justin, and pointed to his cheek. Justin dutifully stepped forward to give him a good luck kiss.

"Oh, we get kisses?" Zack asked. He grinned and walked toward the ladies in the corner, arms open, offering them the chance. Before he could reach the girls, Dean stepped in front of them and pushed Zack back toward the mats.

"No harassing the spectators." Dean told him, giving him a look that the girls couldn't see, a look that said _Stay the fuck away from the brunette._

"I need good luck!" Zack insisted, walking backward with Dean's hand on his shoulder. He peered around Dean's head and winked at the girls. "I'll get that kiss later, right?"

Kaitlyn giggled quietly and blew him a sympathy kiss, pretty sure he was about to get schooled.

"Aww, yeah." Zack celebrated the small victory and mimed catching the kiss from the air.

True to Kaitlyn's prediction, Darren ended up getting the pin, but not without a decent fight from Zack.

"I almost had you." Zack insisted, still on his back and winded from the effort.

Darren hopped up and smiled graciously. "Whatever you need to tell yourself."

"Forgot to mention it before," Seth cut in. "But that was a Loser Goes Home match. See ya, Zack."

"Dude." Zack shook his head, as if begging him to reconsider. "Bro."

"Alright, you can stay." Seth relented. "But you have to choose the next challenger."

"Oh, Dean, for sure." Zack answered with no hesitation.

Dean didn't hesitate either. He hopped over, fists up as if to protect his face.

"Wrestling though, right?" Darren held up his hands and worriedly asked for clarification, not keen on boxing the loose cannon of the group.

"Yeah, just wrestling." Dean assured Darren in an innocent voice and anything but innocent smile.

Dean threw a few practice jabs and followed up with a left hook. Darren ducked back, even though Dean was still a few feet away.

Kaitlyn poked AJ's shoulder, drawing a knowing smile from the brunette. Dean moved fast, and he looked dangerous judging by Darren's reaction. Yeah, she was definitely developing a thing for bad boys.

"Hold on, I don't like the looks of this guy." Justin cut in, pushing Darren gently out of the way so he could challenge Dean and defend his boyfriend's honor.

Dean's hand shot out, and Justin ducked out of an open handed slap just in time. The rest of the boys in the room _ooh_'d, impressed by Justin's reflexes. He was fast too.

Dean smirked and shook his head, still hopping, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. Justin, never taking his eyes away from Dean, kicked off his sneakers and bent his knees slightly, preparing for another wild hand. While Dean never stopped moving, Justin stood still with laser focus, waiting for Dean to strike.

After some near strikes and evasions, Justin put Dean in a headlock until Dean flipped him forward over his shoulder and put a knee on his chest. When they separated, Dean offered his hand to help Justin up, but it was just a trick. Dean swept his leg and caught Justin's ankles. The crowd _ohhh!_'d, but Justin grabbed his arm, using the momentum to take Dean down with him and flip him over onto his back. Justin pressed his shoulder blades against Dean's chest while Seth slapped the mat three times for a very fast count.

"I thought this was your house, boy!?" Darren taunted Dean, arms outstretched in victory by proxy.

"That's what happens when you try to play dirty." Justin taunted as he helped Dean up.

"Just testing your reflexes." Dean said, rolling his shoulders. He tried to slap Justin one more time, but Justin slapped Dean's hand away. Dean shook out the slapped hand afterward, sucking air through his teeth like it hurt.

_Ow!_ he mouthed, to which Justin rolled his eyes and smiled.

"Alright, who's next?" Seth asked, looking around the room as he walked to the mat. "You want a rematch?" he asked Roman, since they'd had a knock-down, drag-out the week before.

Roman looked over and pointed at Kaitlyn and AJ. "I wanna see what they've got."

The boys all got silly, giddy looks on their faces at the idea.

"You guys ever spar?" Seth asked, smiling their way.

"Do pillow fights count?" Kaitlyn joked.

Everyone laughed, except for Roman.

"Come here." Roman gestured for her to come to the mat. "I want you to kick me."

Kaitlyn laughed and got up. "For real?"

"I'd rather she kick you than have her kick me." AJ nodded gratefully.

"We've never really sparred." Kaitlyn warned him, tucking her hair behind her ears. She turned to look at AJ and they both shrugged sheepishly. "Together or apart."

"Just give me one solid kick, right here." Roman tapped his bicep and waited for Kaitlyn to step up.

"You're crazy." Kaitlyn shook her head, giggling at Roman's determined facial expression as she took off her sneakers and got into a good position.

The rest of the guys made a semi-circle, crossed their arms and watched as Kaitlyn inched closer. At the last second she stepped back and put her hands on her hips.

"I don't want to hurt you." she said, sticking out her bottom lip.

"He can take it," Dean assured her. "I promise."

"I have a room full of witnesses," she said, pointing at them all. "He asked for it."

"Right here." Roman tapped his arm again.

"Okay…" Kaitlyn stood sideways, fists up, and eyeballed the distance between them. At half speed and quarter strength, Kaitlyn turned in place, brought her foot up and around and made contact right where Roman had pointed.

"Naw, come on." he said, his smile growing at how tentative her actions were.

"Knock him over." Seth urged, followed by a chorus of agreement from the other guys.

Kaitlyn smiled and shook her head, getting back into starting position. She went harder that time. The sound of her socked foot hitting his arm was quite satisfying. Roman winced appreciatively at the harsh sting she left, and mouthed _ooh_.

"Nice!" Zack congratulated her. Darren and Justin nodded in agreement. She had great balance and a lot of power.

Kaitlyn looked over her shoulder at AJ.

"I kicked someone at a party." she said. "My mom will be so proud."

AJ laughed and smiled at her friend's sarcasm.

"One more time, as hard as you can." said Roman.

"You asked for it." she reminded him, and he nodded, ready for her worst. She made him grunt that last time, and the guys all admired her strength.

"You need to start competing." Roman told her as she stepped back.

"Really?" Kaitlyn scrunched up her nose, wondering if he was just using flattery to score points.

Roman stepped aside to let Seth set up another mini-match while the other boys talked amongst themselves. AJ was still watching from the corner.

"It's not for everyone," said Roman. "But if you like it, you could be good at it. I bet if you tried it once, you'd never look back. You'll wonder why you didn't start sooner."

"I think I'd like it if I got to beat up boys." she joked. She kicked her foot toward his shin. Roman moved out of the way, even though Kaitlyn purposefully avoided connecting. "I wouldn't feel as bad that way."

"What, you think you're the only tough chick out there?" Roman smirked.

Kaitlyn half turned and gestured with her thumb toward AJ, eyebrows raised at Roman. "Have you seen _her_ in action?"

"Not yet." said Roman, turning to AJ with an expectant look.

"You gonna get in on this?" Kaitlyn asked AJ, like she was missing a huge sale on kick-ass.

Everyone else noticed at the same time and waited to see what she would say.

"Free target practice." said Dean. He was in the middle of their makeshift ring, hands held out from his sides, encouraging her to make use of his defenseless body.

"She's a total bad ass." Kaitlyn warned them. "Do not be fooled by her size."

"Now I _gotta_ see something." said Seth.

"I learned a takedown move today..." AJ told them shyly as she stood up.

"_Yeeeesss_." Seth growled, happy to have more friends to spar with.

"Show us!" Darren encouraged her.

"Do it, do it!" Kaitlyn chimed in.

"Maybe you should put on some padding." Roman said to Dean. AJ shook her head in amusement as she walked closer to the group.

"I'm a little scared now." Dean admitted, eyes sparking with humor and curiosity as AJ stepped up. "You're small enough to be a ninja."

"I won't hurt you too much," she replied.

"Hurt me just enough." said Dean, holding up his hand with the tips of his thumb and forefinger millimeters apart. She smiled, and hesitated, trying to think of a way to demonstrate what she'd learned without making a fool of herself.

"Well," AJ said, tucking her hair behind her ears. "You have to come at me first."

"What, like this?" Dean took two steps forward, immediately towering over her small frame.

AJ laughed. "Wait!" she said, backing up, putting her hands out to stop him.

"Come on, AJ, whatcha gonna do?" Seth teased her.

Dean kept pressing, grinning at AJ as he made her walk backward. AJ laughed again and pushed back with more force, until she got him to move backward and she had Dean back to the middle of the mat.

"_Stay_." she said sternly. Judging by the look on his face, equal parts surprise and amusement, Dean seemed to like that a lot. Roman and Seth shared an amused look of their own, like they could see into Dean's future and knew what he was in for.

"Take a swing at me." she instructed. "But _slowly_, I just learned this today…"

Dean put his fists up again and, as instructed, swung one of them slowly at AJ, telegraphing the trajectory so she wouldn't miss it. She grabbed hold of his wrist and pulled. It would have worked, but Dean was moving slow enough that he didn't fall all the way over. He stumbled toward AJ, and she took hold of his arm long enough to help him catch his balance.

"If we were going full speed," AJ explained. "You would have fallen on your face."

"Wait, let's do it again." said Dean. "I won't hit you, I just wanna see what you did…"

AJ gave him a second demonstration. Justin tried it on Dean next, and he pulled much harder than she did, since Dean was confident letting his fist fly a little faster toward a guy's face. Dean went down, pulled Justin with him and they started an impromptu rematch of their earlier tussle.

"Arright arright, break it up, the two of ya." Seth told the friendly rivals. They were always arguing about the superiority of technique versus that of brute force, neither a clear winner no matter how many times they tried to prove it.

"I've got a takedown move." Roman announced, picking Seth up over his shoulder before he could argue.

"Aw, shit." Seth complained, not even bothering to struggle. He'd get him back later. Dean and Justin tried to scramble out of the way, but Roman slammed Seth right onto both of them. They all shouted in pain, laughing afterward as they rolled around, holding whichever body part had been hit hardest.

"This happens every time, I swear." Darren told the girls, who winced and laughed at the pile of bodies. Roman tried to pick Darren up next, but Darren fought his way out of it.

"Let me try it on you." Kaitlyn said to AJ.

"Don't you dare!" AJ pointed at her, eyes wide with warning and fear.

"But you're so light!" Kaitlyn insisted, hoisting her shorter friend over her shoulder just like Roman had done to Seth.

AJ kicked her feet in protest, her shouted 'Nooo!' rising in pitch until she was squealing. She did not want to be tossed on to a heap of strange boys at their first gathering. Kaitlyn knew this, and instead used the couch as a landing pad for AJ's fall. The boys in the heap were all very disappointed that she did not become the cherry on their body slam sundae. Roman was impressed once again by Kaitlyn's strength, even if she wasn't as ruthless with her friend's body as he was with Seth's.

A series of retaliations had them all laughing and shouting. It was a surprise to both girls that watching a bunch of guys try to outdo each other in the sloppiest of contact sports would be so fun. They acted macho, but it was just an act; they were all having fun, and all the roughhousing was good natured, never vindictive.

AJ, emboldened by their seeming lack of caution, tried her takedown move more aggressively. Everyone got a turn, and even Kaitlyn offered to take a fall. At one point Dean tried tickling the sides of her stomach instead of attacking like a normal self-defense test dummy; AJ's instincts kicked in, and instead of just squealing in protest – which she still did, involuntarily - she hooked his ankle with her foot. In an instant Dean found himself flat on his back, a small knee pressed into his ribs. He looked up at her with a dreamy smile on his face.

"I was just wondering what would happen if I tried that." he said.

AJ smiled back, one eyebrow arched. "Remember what Justin said about playing dirty?"

Dean's smile widened. "I don't regret a thing." he said, thinking about how it felt to put his fingertips on the taut muscles of her abdomen.

* * *

The mini matches continued. With the girls there, it was more instructional than the usual all out brawling.

Dean's father came home during a ruckus. He could tell the difference between a real fight and some good-natured hootin' and hollerin'. He knew they were just having fun. The ruckus died down eventually, but he needed something from the basement, so he was going to check on them anyway.

When he walked down the stairs, he pictured three scrawny thirteen-year-old boys, the tightest unit he'd ever seen, playing video games and working out until the skin on their hands split open. That would always be the image in his head, of his son and his two best friends. The years had gone by, so the reality was different. The three boys were still close as ever, but they were older now. They were men, as much as Dean's father didn't want to admit it. Maybe it was the fact that Dean still hung out in the basement, still invited his friends over, still played video games and worked out like crazy. His dad had missed a big chunk of Dean's childhood, but his adolescence had happened here, in Roddy's house.

"You idiots behaving yourselves?" Roddy asked as he clomped down the steps in his work boots. He'd been in the garage all day, fixing busted cars while his employees drove the good ones around town. It was nice to come home to a house full of boisterious, happy, young people. They were seated on chairs and couches again, the mats back up against the wall. An old action epic was playing on the TV.

"Rod-dy!" Roman shouted in a deep voice, without thinking.

"Roddy Pipahhh!" Seth echoed. They didn't even take their eyes off the television.

Roddy realized belatedly that there were ladies present. "Oh, wow," he said, truly impressed but adopting a sarcastic tone. "What contest did you win to get such pretty girls to spend time with the likes of you?" he teased. The genuine, warm smile he directed toward them tempered the sarcasm.

"My dad." Dean explained to the newcomers. "Dad, this is AJ and Kaitlyn."

Roddy leaned over and shook each of their hands, charmed by the girls and quite impressed by his son's ability to attract such beautiful company.

"You can call me Roddy." he said, keeping his surprise and his pride to himself.

The girls each said hi, and smiled inwardly at the resemblance between father and son.

"They're part of the tribe." Dean told his dad, his body still hurting from their impromptu display.

"Oh, are they?" Roddy asked. He addressed the girls directly. "They treating you well?"

"They've been perfect hosts." Kaitlyn reassured him.

"They didn't try to box you, did they?"

"Just some kickboxing, jiu jitsu…" AJ said casually, as if that were any better.

"We were the punching bags." Dean explained.

"Good." said Roddy. "You just let me know if that changes, I'll give 'em each a good beating."

"That won't be necessary, really." said AJ. "We kind of did that to them already."

Roddy grinned. "My kind of girls." He began to make his way to the opposite wall where he kept a wide array of tools and kits.

"Hello, sir." Zack addressed him as he passed, friendly yet respectful. He wasn't used to the laid back dynamic of the Piper household.

"What'd I tell you about calling me that?" Roddy scolded him.

"Sorry, sir. Just the way I was brought up."

"I swear to god, you got two personalities." Seth said to Zack. "Just call him Roddy, man!"

Roman started a "Rod-dee!" chant that Seth joined in on immediately.

"Okay, there's overly polite and then there's just being an asshole. And you two are being assholes." Roddy joked. He turned to AJ and Kaitlyn. "Pardon my French."

Seth leaned his head back and looked at the girls too. "You know, back in the day, they called him Hot Rod."

"You know what, Seth?" Roddy interjected, turning from his tool kit. "I changed my mind. You call me 'sir' from now on."

"You gotta bring that name back!" Seth insisted. "I'd make everyone call me that if I had that nickname."

While the boys chatted, AJ looked from Dean to Roddy and back again. She could see the same swagger in both of them. Dean caught her looking, so she smiled at him.

"We're not so bad, right?" he asked her.

Her smile widened. "Not at all."

"Alright," Roddy sighed once he found what he was looking for. "I'll leave you alone now." he said. "With your new friends." he added, flashing one more smile their way.

AJ glanced at Dean. He barely responded to his father. Playing it cool in front of his friends.

On his way up the stairs, Roddy suddenly remembered something. He stopped in the middle and ducked down around the ceiling beams.

"Hey, Dean?" he said.

"Yeah?"

"Can you help me out tonight?"

For a second, the rebel in Dean made him hesitate, until he remembered his responsibilities with the family business.

"Which car?" Dean asked.

"Town car."

"Do I have to wear the hat?"

Roddy gave his son a wry look. "No," he said with exaggerated reassurance. "You don't have to wear the hat."

Dean grinned. "Then yeah, no problem. What time?"

"The reservation is for ten to one, possibly two. You'll have to be on call though, no leaving during the event."

Dean nodded and weighed the options in his head. He had plans to help Roman and Seth out, finding new cars for Santino, but they could do that afterward. Plus, if he was driving someone important to a fancy event, there were worse places to look for fancy, tricked out cars. It looked like Dean would be getting paid twice for one job tonight.

"Okay." he confirmed.

"I can try to find someone else in the meantime, if you were planning on entertaining for a while."

"No, it's cool. I'll be there." Dean assured him.

"Thanks, Dean."

"No problem, Pops."

"We have to leave soon anyway." Kaitlyn said, apologetic, as Roddy disappeared up the stairs.

"Already?" Justin expressed his dismay with a pout.

"We have to work." AJ lamented. "Night shift."

"I'm leaving too." said Zack. "I get up at the crack of dawn to make bread and doughnuts. Gotta catch those Z's, you know?"

He exchanged special high fives and secret handshakes with Darren and Justin, while the girls got up and grabbed their bags.

"Hey." Seth said to the girls. "Thanks for hanging out and letting us act like circus clowns. Not many girls we know would put up with that."

"It was fun," said Kaitlyn, flashing a bright smile. "We don't know a lot of people who are that into combat sports."

"It was a unique experience." said AJ, her tone more teasing.

"Well, like Zack said, you came to the right house." said Seth. "Come back any time."

"We will." said AJ. She noticed Dean walking with them, so he could see them to the kitchen door.

"Zack," Seth stopped him before he could leave. "If I give you some money, will you bring doughnuts to the party?"

"Oh shit, that's right, the party." Zack's eyes widened. "Hey, if Kaitlyn and AJ come, I'll bring doughnuts for _free_."

"Well now you have to come." Dean told the girls matter-of-factly.

"You're not working tomorrow night, are you?" Roman asked.

AJ and Kaitlyn looked at each other, asking each other wordlessly what the other wanted to answer. They both shrugged and shook their heads.

"We're gonna be at a party tomorrow night," Dean explained. "At a mutual friend's house."

"It's like…" Zack pondered. "A frat party, but not just college kids."

"Drop-outs welcome." said Darren, patting Dean's shoulder as he passed. He and Justin were on their way out too.

They all trooped upstairs, except for Seth and Roman, who said their goodbyes and stayed in the basement to keep watching the movie. Darren and Justin said goodbye to the girls, and told them it was great to meet them before heading out.

"It'll be totally laid back." Zack assured AJ and Kaitlyn, still on his sales pitch and clearly excited by the prospect of the two of them attending the party. "Just some cool people, chilling out, maybe getting a little crazy, whatever you're into…"

"I don't really drink much." AJ warned him.

"Yeah, same with me." Kaitlyn chimed in.

"Nah, it's not like that." Dean said. "I mean people will drink, but there's no pressure. Just come hang out."

"You are like the coolest chicks _everrr_." said Zack. "Everyone will love you."

How could they say no to that?

"Okay, we might stop by." said Kaitlyn.

"Alright, karate buddy." said Zack. "But you better be there. There'll be donuts!"

Kaitlyn laughed as Zack scooted out the door.

"Jesus." Dean muttered jokingly, relieved he'd finally gone.

"Aww," Kaitlyn laughed again, this time it was sympathetic. "He's a good guy."

Dean leaned on the edge of the door, resting his cheek against it.

"I think Seth said it best," he said. "But I'll say it again: thanks for putting up with us all afternoon."

AJ turned and lingered in the doorway. "It was really fun."

"Yeah?" Dean asked, smiling knowingly. AJ tilted her head and smiled a wry smile. It was getting to be a habit, but when Dean raised his eyebrows and gave that look of innocence she couldn't help it.

"Yeah." she said.

"We didn't bang you up too bad, did we?"

"Nah, it was good for us. And now you know not to tickle a ninja."

Dean grinned, the tip of his tongue visible through his teeth.

"Text me the address for the party?" AJ asked him.

"I will."

AJ followed Kaitlyn out the door and toward the street. Dean poked his head out.

"Hey." he said quietly.

AJ turned and looked at him expectantly.

"I'm glad you came." he said.

AJ smiled. "Me too." she said.

Kaitlyn waited for them to have their little moment. She was probably more excited for it than either of them. She waved goodbye to Dean when AJ turned back around and caught up with her. When they were a few more steps away from the house, Kaitlyn hooked her arm around AJ's and pulled her closer.

"Girrrrrl…" Kaitlyn whispered in a slowly rising pitch.

"Don't even start." AJ said, though a big smile was already forming.


	5. Dress Up

**Chapter 5 - Dress Up**

* * *

The girls went back to Kaitlyn's apartment to get ready for work. Since AJ's parents didn't know where she worked, she almost always got dressed at Kaitlyn's. It was more fun that way anyway, since they always helped each other finalize hair and outfits.

While Kaitlyn took off her t-shirt and searched her dresser, AJ stood in front of Kaitlyn's closet and flipped through a small stash of work clothes – mostly pairs of skin-tight shorts and bikini tops. It was time to dress up and become another person for a few hours.

"Sooo…" said Kaitlyn. She found a hair band and pulled her hair back so she could re-do her makeup. "Do you like him?"

"Who?" AJ asked.

"Oh my god, quit stalling."

AJ laughed. "I'm not stalling. I just wanted to make sure I knew who you were talking about."

"Who else would I be talking about?"

"I don't know, they were all being nice to us!"

Kaitlyn made a sound of frustration. "You won't even tell your best friend in the whole _world_ what you think of the guy that clearly likes you?"

"You're going to have to be more specific…" AJ said innocently.

"You're messing with me!" Kaitlyn exclaimed, as she finally realized it.

"A little bit." AJ admitted.

"If I weren't half naked right now I'd go over there and pinch you."

"Ooh, lucky me." AJ said suggestively. She picked out a standard ensemble and walked to the adjacent bathroom so she could change in front of a mirror. "Do _you_ like him?" she asked Kaitlyn.

"Well gee, I don't know," Kaitlyn replied, mocking AJ's innocent tone. "Who are you talking about?"

"I'm trying not to get my hopes up." AJ admitted as she slipped out of her normal clothes.

"What?!" Kaitlyn chirped. "Why?"

"You know how I get."

"Aw, sweetie. You don't have to marry the guy."

"I know, but we should at least be friends first, right? I hardly know him."

"Right, but you can get to know him while you make out and all that fun stuff."

AJ made a skeptical face in Kaitlyn's general direction. "Can I?"

"Are you questioning my wisdom?"

"Always."

"Okay, you want to take it slow. So, you _do_ like him?"

"Do you?"

Kaitlyn stopped her hands and rolled her eyes skyward. "You are so enfuriating."

"Answer my question!" AJ shot back.

"YES, I think he's awesome and perfect for you and that you should get married and have twenty babies and name them all after me."

"All of that, after meeting him once?"

"I'm joking." Kaitlyn murmured, pausing as she applied heavy eyeliner. She stepped back from the mirror and blinked, checking the design. "We apparently all went to high school together. Anyone that can survive that hellhole is a hero in my book. Although, I guess they did drop out before they finished. Wait, do we know what they do for work? We never really talked about that."

"Dean helps out with his dad's business, limo driving. I'm not sure, aside from that."

"Well we know they're disciplined and motivated. The muscles..."

"Yeah, they were lookin' pretty good." AJ replied.

"They felt good too." Kaitlyn turned in place in front of her bedroom mirror, making sure her shirt fit right – low and tight. "I wanted Roman to cover me and never get off. I mean, never get up. I mean-!"

AJ laughed. "I know what you mean. What is it with you and guys laying on top of you after exercise?"

"I like to be rewarded for hard work."

AJ snorted. Kaitlyn made a sound of disgust at her judgment.

"Oh, Raaandy..." AJ said in a falsetto impression of Kaitlyn. "Stretch me, Randy."

"I did _not_ sound like that."

"I am _barely_ exaggerating."

"You should try it with Punk. He'd melt at your feet."

"I don't need his help to stretch. Also, he has a girlfriend."

"And now you have Dean!" Kaitlyn replied with exaggerated wonder and awe.

"And now I have Dean." AJ echoed, finally admitting that she did want it to go somewhere, even if it wasn't on the fast track.

"You already met his friends, and they're awesome, so you don't have to worry about that anymore."

"Good point." said AJ. Dolph's friends had not exactly made her feel welcome.

AJ was distracted from their conversation when she realized she was missing something from her parent's house.

"Shit!"

"Forgot the eyeliner again?"

"Yeah." AJ said regretfully. "Can I borrow?"

"Of course." Kaitlyn answered, smiling softly as she walked to the bathroom and handed the tube to AJ. "You never have to ask."

"Thanks." AJ smiled gratefully.

"Have you thought any more about moving in with me?" Kaitlyn asked, walking back to the mirror in her bedroom so she could apply blush to her cheeks.

AJ was inches away from the mirror in the bathroom, applying her own eye make up.

"I mean," Kaitlyn leaned back and turned so she could project her voice into the next room. "Half your stuff is here already."

"I know..." AJ called back, telegraphing regret. AJ stepped out of the bathroom, barefoot in her short shorts and bikini top. She leaned against the door jamb and scrunched her mouth up on one side, watching Kaitlyn sweep the broad brush against her cheek.

"You know I want to." said AJ. She spotted a crooked nail in the floorboard in front of her, and poked at it with her toes. "I'm waiting for my mom to get better. She still needs help sometimes, and my dad is always working."

Kaitlyn straightened and smiled sadly. "I understand. But the second you want to move out..."

"I'll be here, don't worry."

"Good." Kaitlyn smiled, and glanced down before returning to her mirror. "You look hot, by the way."

"Thanks." AJ scrunched one shoulder and stuck out a hip in a cute pose before she went back to the bathroom to check herself out. "What are you going to wear?"

"Mmm, I was thinking of going with a cowgirl look tonight. Then, when I walk backwards, I'll say 'Look: reverse cowgirl!' The customers love that stupid shit. Especially when they're drunk."

AJ laughed. "When you do it, it's actually funny."

"Aw, thanks." Kaitlyn smiled to herself and took out a tube of lip gloss. "I just don't want Vickie to see it as an invitation to whore me out."

"She'll probably buy a mechanical bull or something." AJ murmured in absent-minded agreement.

"I feel like the guys that pay to be there behave better than she does." said Kaitlyn. "She tries to sell me like a prostitute. But then she calls me fat."

"Oh, please." AJ scoffed, blinking her eyelashes apart as she stepped back from the bathroom mirror.

"Cougar in charge!" Kaitlyn screeched loudly.

"Nooo, don't even start!" AJ yelled back.

They were silent for a few seconds. And then, in perfect unison…

"_Excuse me!_"

They fell into laughter, interrupted only by a text alert on AJ's phone. Kaitlyn was closer, so she grabbed it as AJ ran out of the bathroom.

"Kaitlyn-!"

"Ohhh, it's from Dean." Kaitlyn teased her. She only held the phone away from AJ's grabby hands for a few seconds, before allowing AJ to check it herself.

"It's just the address for the party tomorrow night." AJ reported.

"Just the address?" Kaitlyn asked skeptically.

"Well...it also says 'BE THERE!' in all caps with three exclamation points."

"Aww!"

"Don't 'aww,' there is nothing to 'aww' here."

"He loooves you."

"Finish your makeup." AJ told her friend, biting her lip to keep from smiling.

* * *

Dean tucked his phone into his pocket and stopped by his dad's home office before heading out. He didn't want to get in trouble for wearing the wrong thing again.

"How do I look?" Dean asked, still fastening the buttons on his shirt cuffs.

Roddy looked up from his paper work and took off his glasses. Dean was in a black dress shirt, black tie, black slacks and his old, beaten up black boots. The pants were a bit wrinkled, and the tie was loose, like he was afraid it would choke him if he wore it properly. The kid was out of his element, but he was trying. That was more than Roddy could ask for with such a last minute request.

Dean noticed his father had that look on his face, like he was proud yet oh-so-amused by something his son had done.

Roddy shrugged, mischief making his eyes sparkle too much for Dean's liking.

"You look like ten bucks."

Dean eyebrows raised and he frowned with acceptance.

"That's better than nothing."

A look of concern crossed Roddy's features.

"What happened to your hands?"

Dean glanced down at the tape over his knuckles. "I helped set up a ring at the gym." he said casually, coming up with a story on the spot. It was half true, like all of his covers. He'd helped set up the ring, sure. But there hadn't been any accidents. He wasn't ready to tell his dad about the unceremonious end to his training.

"Ah." Roddy believed the lie easily, since it was all too plausible and he had experience of his own in that arena. "Other than that, you look fine." Roddy said, chuckling as he placed his glasses back on his face. "Thanks for doing this, Dean."

"No problem, Pops." said Dean as he walked out.

"Hey." Roddy called out.

Dean backed up and looked at him expectantly. Roddy leaned back in his chair, his proud and amused smile still present. His glasses were off again, so he could see Dean's face.

"Those were some pretty girls you had over earlier."

Dean averted his eyes and sighed, feeling like a teenager about to be embarrassed by dad talk.

"You datin' one of 'em?" Roddy asked, now highly amused.

Dean shrugged, and fiddled with the buttons on his shirt sleeves.

"Maybe." he said. "Hopefully, soon."

"The blonde or the brunette?"

Dean smirked, keeping his cards close to his chest.

"Which one do you think?" he asked.

"Ahh, you like brunettes, don'cha?" his father asked.

"I like girls. They can have any hair color they want."

Roddy chuckled. "Fair enough. So, how'd ya meet?"

Dean fidgeted in the doorway, wondering when the interrogation would end.

"They went to our high school." he said. "I ran into AJ the other night, it was random."

"AJ…" Roddy repeated, attaching the brunette's face to the name. "What does that stand for?"

"You know what?" Dean said, becoming more and more agitated. "I have no fuckin' clue."

Roddy laughed and relented, putting his glasses back on as he turned back to his paperwork.

"Alright, why don't you get going."

Dean made a face that said _Finally!_, not that Roddy could see it. He backed away from the doorway and walked toward the stairs.

"Call me if anything weird happens." Roddy called after him.

"Will do." Dean called back.

"And don't say anything rude this time, I don't want any complaints!"

"No promises." Dean muttered to himself.

"Dean!"

"AlrightI'mleavingandIwon'tdoanythingstupidIpromise!" Dean shouted wildly at the top of his lungs right before he flew out the front door. He was mostly joking. Mostly.

"Christ." Roddy muttered to himself as the door slammed, wondering if it was worth the anxiety, wondering what Dean would do if the wrong button was pushed. "I should have done the job myself..."

* * *

The girls put sweatpants and coats over their skimpy outfits for the work commute. For one, it was getting cold out at night, and if they were ever stopped by the police for any reason, they didn't want the cops to get the wrong idea.

On the other hand, if the cops got the _right_ idea, Vickie might appreciate the extra business.

Kaitlyn parked in the rear lot of The Kitten Club, where the rest of the employees parked their cars. One of the bouncers was waiting out back, smoking a cigarette before his shift, illuminated by the blue and pink neon sign that said '_erotic and burlesque...' _in teasing cursive letters.

"Ladies." he greeted them, his glance fleeting and respectful.

"Keep us safe tonight, Erick." Kaitlyn said in her usual jokey way.

Erick chuckled quietly, showing just a hint of a smile behind his big red beard and mustache.

The club was empty, closed since 7:00 PM to leave time for clean-up between shows. At least Vickie had a crew that mopped and wiped tables down. She could be mean, but she didn't make the girls do too much dirty work before their shifts. AJ and Kaitlyn helped set up tables and made sure everything looked neat before retreating to the dressing room to see who was working that night.

In a dark blue robe, Alicia was seated at the first of three vanities, putting lotion on her long legs. She greeted them and flashed a friendly smile, happy to see they were working tonight. There was a certain combination of girls that enjoyed working together, because they got along and were also better at making money, which was always good for everyone involved.

AJ could see the tops of two blonde heads moving behind an opaque wooden room divider with clothes slung over the top of it.

"Oh, it's the good crew." Kaitlyn recognized immediately.

"Don't tell Vickie," said AJ. "If she realizes we're having an easy time out there, she'll never let us work together again."

Hearing their voices, Summer Rae poked her head around the side of the divider.

"Oh, thank god!" she exclaimed, relieved just knowing AJ and Kaitlyn would be serving drinks and food while she danced.

"What is it?" said Kelly, wandering out in her underwear and nothing else. "Oh, awesome!" she said once she realized what the fuss was about. Her smile was bright as she reached for one of the tops hanging on the divider.

"We love you guys too." said AJ, smiling at their reactions as she tucked her purse and coat in her locker.

Kelly went over to the second vanity and studied herself, checking out her own ass before she put her top on. Alicia finished with her legs and got up to find her sexy sailor costume. Summer was humming a tune to herself while she slipped a dress over her head.

Kaitlyn looked around the room, put a finger to her chin and pursed her lips. AJ raised a suspicious eyebrow at Kaitlyn's obvious thinky face.

"You know what we should do..." Kaitlyn said slowly, narrowing her eyes at AJ.

AJ narrowed her eyes too. "I think I do..."

"Does anyone wanna go to a party tomorrow night?" Kaitlyn asked the room.

"Yeah!" Summer agreed readily. She came out from behind the divider in a turquoise dress adorned with what looked like a million tassels.

"Sure, why not?" Kelly said, since she had nothing better to do.

"You have to come too." AJ told Alicia as she walked back toward them.

"Where is it?" Alicia asked, more hesitant than Summer.

"I dunno, some guy's house." Kaitlyn said, sharing everything she knew and drawing a laugh from AJ.

"Is it someone important?" Summer asked, walking over in her bright dress, swinging her hips purposefully to get the tassels twirling.

"Ooh, nice." Kaitlyn complimented her dance moves and her new outfit. "No, not a 'business' party. Just some cool guys we met yesterday. They invited us to a friend's party, and they were really nice so we want to return the favor and bring all the girls we know to this next thing."

"Are they hot?" Summer smiled, dreaming of the possibilities. If they weren't made of money, they at least had to please her in other ways. Kelly chuckled but didn't turn from the mirror.

"The ones we met definitely were." AJ nodded.

Summer shrugged. "Okay." she said.

"Yeah, I'm down." said Alicia.

"Do you think Brie and Nikki will come?" AJ asked.

"I think so..." Summer spoke distractedly as she caught sight of herself in a nearby mirror and stroked her hair. "Nikki told me she broke up with whoever she was dating. I bet she'd _love_ to go."

"I want to walk in with an army of hot girls." said Kaitlyn.

Kelly looked over her shoulder and caught Kaitlyn's eye. "That will be so good..." she said, grinning at the thought.

"Did someone say hot girls?" Nikki's voice rang out from the doorway. There was a chorus of hellos as the twins entered. Nikki greeted everyone in the small dressing room with a kiss on the cheek, even AJ, who accepted the affection begrudgingly. Brie went straight to one of the vanities and put her stuff down. She wasn't usually that quiet, but AJ didn't think much of it at the time.

"You look cuuuute," Nikki said, elongating her vowels as she looked at AJ's reflection in the mirror. AJ had taken her advice and put her hair in loose pigtails that rested on her shoulders. It made her look much younger than her years, but the Lolita look really worked for certain customers.

"Are you dancing tonight?" AJ asked her.

"Yeah." Nikki sighed. "Get them all nice and drunk for me, 'kay?"

"Body shot specials all night." AJ reminded her, raising her eyebrows a few times.

"Oh, goodie." Nikki said sarcastically. "Who volunteered for that, Vickie herself?"

"Excuse me, ladies!"

The voice of their boss made them all flinch involuntarily. They recovered before she appeared in all of her animal print glory.

"Hello, hello!" she greeted them with a big smile. "Some of us are a little late, I see."

"We're already dressed, Ms. Guerrero." Nikki told her sweetly, trying to reassure her.

"How wonderful!" Vickie replied, sarcastically sweet. "Did you manage to get your shoes tied too?" She suddenly stopped smiling and gave her employee a dirty look for talking back to her.

As soon as Vickie turned her back, Nikki rolled her eyes and shared a look with her sister.

Kaitlyn, ever the brave one, hopped up and showed her outfit to Vickie before she could make a snide comment.

"What do you think?" Kaitlyn asked, turning in place. Her cut off jean shorts revealed the curve of her ass just slightly, and her red and white checkered shirt was tied tightly under her breasts. Vickie looked relieved.

"Kaitlyn," she began in her well-meaning but patronizing tone. "This is _so_ much better than last week. If you could just try this hard every time, I wouldn't have to yell at you so much."

Kaitlyn furrowed her brow. "...Thanks?" she said with uncertainty. She was pretty sure there was a compliment in there somewhere.

Summer Rae shook her hips when Vickie turned to look and appraise her.

Vickie smiled and clasped her hands under her chin. "You always look perfect, Summer." she declared. "You'll go on first tonight."

"Oh my god, thank you!" Summer rushed up and hugged Vickie, causing all the other girls' stomachs to turn. They liked Summer, but she was a total suck-up and the two of them together were unbearable.

Once Summer let her go, Vickie turned back to the twins with bad news.

"Brie? Nikki? You can go on right before Kelly."

"Gee. Thanks." Brie said under her breath. Second to last was not the gift that Vickie made it seem. The customers tended to hoard their money when they knew Kelly was coming up next.

"Uhm, excuse me?" Vickie said, her tone sickeningly sweet once more.

"I said we'll make you a fuck-ton of money." Brie said louder.

"Mm-hm." Vickie nodded. "Yes you will."

AJ thought she was going to escape this encounter without a harsh comment. As Vickie went back to her office, she glanced at AJ's chest.

"AJ, please, stuff that bra with something that won't pop or fall out."

AJ's eyes began to roll involuntarily at the comment. As Vickie walked away, Kaitlyn got AJ's attention and shook her head.

"Your tits are perfect." Kaitlyn stage-whispered.

"We should have variety." Brie mumbled in an annoyed tone, since her breasts were in the same size range as AJ. Brie dropped into a chair, inspecting her face in the vanity mirror and not looking pleased at what she could see. There were bags under her eyes, visible even through the heavy makeup she applied, and her involuntary frown wasn't doing her any favors.

"Where is everyone else?!" Vickie screamed from her desk. "Ten means ten, god dammit! AJ! Kaitlyn! Go out and start seating!"

"We got it!" Kaitlyn shouted back. Her enthusiasm sometimes infuriated Vickie, since it was often facetious and in spite of Vickie's insults. But Kaitlyn was very popular with the customers, and Vickie was shrewd enough not to let personal feelings get in the way of business.

"Bring it in, girls." Kaitlyn said, gesturing with her hands as she moved to the center of the dressing room.

"No, Aksana isn't here yet!" Nikki begged.

"I gotta go out there now, she should show up on time if she wants in on the good luck boob bump! Oh, by the way: party tomorrow night? Party?" Kaitlyn raised her eyebrows expectantly, pointing first at Nikki then at Brie.

"What, are we having one?" Nikki asked, confused.

"We're _going_ to one," said Kaitlyn. "And I need all the hot girls I can get. I want to have fun, just say you'll come!"

"I'm in." Nikki said, no other questions asked. "As long as there's alcohol and hot guys, I don't even care what else is happening."

"That's the spirit!" Kaitlyn said, in that exaggerated tone that sometimes only AJ could recognize as mocking. "Brie?"

"I don't know..." she said, barely looking up from her makeup bag.

AJ looked at the more serious twin, and she caught Summer Rae's eye afterward, but the blonde merely shrugged, flashing a small grimace like she didn't want to deal with Brie's problems, whatever they were.

"Zack will lose his shit if we bring twins." Kaitlyn said to AJ.

Brie turned in her seat. "Who's Zack?" she said in a pouting tone, curiosity getting the better of her.

"Um..." AJ struggled to find the right words to describe him.

"Ladies!" Vickie screamed, sounding very un-ladylike herself.

Kaitlyn and AJ nearly ran into each other in their scramble to escape to the main stage area. A room full of horny, leering men was preferable to being near Vickie.


	6. Odd Jobs

******Chapter 6 - Odd Jobs**

* * *

After making sure the town car was spotless, Dean punched the address for the job into the GPS and drove downtown.

"_Go three miles, then turn right on - _"

Dean made a face as the feminine robot voice butchered a local street name. He shut it off immediately and gunned the engine, confident he could find the place on his own. Countless nights spent mapping escape routes with Seth and Roman gave him a pretty good mental map of the city.

The address belonged to a brownstone in a ritzy part of town. Dean figured they'd be headed to a party at a hotel or banquet hall. While they fake laughed at all their rich people jokes, Dean could sneak into the kitchen, make friends with the staff and get a free dinner out of the deal.

When the guy came outside, Dean's outlook on the night changed. The man was in his late 40's and dressed in a suit - an expensive one, which made sense, given the neighborhood. But he had a head of messy blonde hair, which was sort of unkempt considering the expensive suit. Then there were his eyes. They were deep blue, and had a barely controlled intensity when he set them on Dean.

"Mr. Regal?" Dean asked, since that was the guy's name, and that was how his dad wanted him to address clients.

"Are you my driver?" the man asked, surprising Dean with a polite British accent. The gentle quality of his voice only made the eyes seem more intense.

_A fancy fuckin' psychopath. Just my luck._

"Yup." said Dean.

Mr. Regal stared into Dean's eyes and sized him up. Dean stared back, trying his hardest not to make a snide comment. His dad did not appreciate his humor when he practiced it on the job.

The man's brow furrowed. The staring continued. Dean was much younger and more fit than most of the limo drivers Regal was used to.

"How late can you stay out?" Regal asked him.

Dean's mouth curved down into a thoughtful frown. "There's usually a cut off, depending on the services ordered. But, uh..."

The scale of Dad's Disappointment tipped in favor of spontaneity, and Dean shrugged.

"You've got me all night, if you need me."

Regal's scowl became an appreciative half-smile.

"I'll compensate you for the extra time."

Dean smiled back. "No problem."

This Mr. Regal was quiet for the first leg of the trip. After telling Dean a different address than was on the job form, Regal pulled out a tablet and became engrossed with whatever information he was studying.

Dean studied his passenger in the rearview mirror any chance he got. There was something decidedly different about this man. The way he carried himself gave the impression that he had power. Not the kind people pretended to have because they happened to have some money. No, this guy had _real_ power.

Regal felt Dean's gaze and glanced up, making eye contact in the small mirror. Dean looked away, playing it casual.

"Do you want to ask me something?" Regal asked. The sound proofing inside the car made his voice sound very close.

"Nope." Dean said.

"You're not wondering why I changed the destination at the last minute?"

"None of my business."

"It should be, shouldn't it?" Regal pressed.

"If you want me to ask, I'll ask. But I'm the type of guy who's usually up for anything. I like to be surprised."

Regal smiled softly to himself, eyes narrowed. It was Dean's lack of fear that piqued Regal's interest.

"There are people who might want to know where I spend my nights." The older man explained. "I don't mind if they find out after I've spent it. But the actual spending, I like to keep that information private. That's why I give false addresses over the phone."

"What, do you kill prostitutes or something?"

The words tumbled out without much thought, and the Dad Disappointment alarm rang dimly in Dean's head. Thankfully, Regal found his irreverence highly entertaining.

"No, that would be quite a waste." Regal replied with a chuckle. Smirking, he looked at Dean in the mirror and studied him again. "You don't do this for a living, do you?"

Dean watched the road, hesitating for a moment. That was another thing his dad didn't want him discussing. Roddy didn't want them to look like a small-time business. Dean was supposed to act like all the other professionals. But this guy was weird, and they were building rapport. Dean could not resist.

"Nah," he admitted. "This is a favor for the owner of the company. I'm his son."

"You're a good son."

Dean chuckled, thoroughly amused by that idea. "I don't know, I've ignored at least five company policies since leaving home tonight."

"I bet that doesn't even include traffic violations." Regal quipped.

"Just trying to get you to your party on time." Dean replied.

"And that is much appreciated." said Regal. "So what is it that you do?"

"I'm, uh...between jobs at the moment. Just odd jobs, here and there."

"What is it that you _want_ to do?"

Again, Dean hesitated.

Regal sensed it. "Odd jobs aren't an end goal, are they? If you don't want to take over your father's business, then what _do_ you want?"

Dean didn't have to think very hard. Stealing cars was a fun pastime, and thanks to his friends and the positive reinforcement of well executed teamwork, they'd gotten good at it. But that wasn't the goal either.

"I wanna fight." he said simply.

Regal's eyes filled with inner light, as if Dean had said some magic words.

"I think you'll like where we're going." Regal said cryptically.

Dean looked in the mirror at his passenger, and forced a dry chuckle.

"Why's that?" he asked.

"Have you ever fought before?" Regal asked him.

"I've wrestled, and I box -"

"No, I mean _really_ fought someone. Have you ever hit someone as hard as you can, with your bare knuckles? Fist on flesh?"

Dean took one hand off the wheel and held it up so Regal could see the evidence.

"Oh." Regal intoned, as if he'd seen a holy symbol. "I always have been good at reading people..."

Technically, he'd sustained his most recent damage in a fight against a defenseless pile of trash cans, but Regal didn't have to know that. Dean had been in plenty of real fights.

* * *

Their destination was a warehouse in a dilapidated industrial area. There weren't many working street lights, and the few commercial storefronts visible from their side of the street were dark for the night. This was where people worked, not where people lived.

The warehouse was lit from within, and Dean could see a small crowd filing through the door.

"Park the car." said Regal. "We'll walk in together."

"I'm not supposed to fraternize..." Dean said, his tone mocking, as he pulled into a parking space and turned off the car.

"This place is one of the biggest Not-Supposed-To's on the planet." said Regal. "I promise I won't tell Daddy." he added in a cheeky tone.

_Challenge accepted,_ Dean thought.

There was a very large man checking ID's at the door; he didn't even make eye contact with Regal. Regal simply walked in, and it was accepted that Dean was his guest. It was quiet as the night outside but when Dean walked in, it sounded like a war was on. The floor was packed with people and everyone was shouting, either calling out bets or simply to be heard over the rest of the din. There was a cage in the middle of the place that kept rattling. Dean was tall enough to peek over the crowd. There were two people inside the cage, and they were beating the shit out of each other. Deans pulse quickened, sense memory causing him to feel the sting of the punches as the sound of them reached his ears. His hands curled into fists subconsciously, and his muscles tensed. One of the bodies slammed into the cage again, and the crowd cheered with satisfaction.

Regal glanced at the cage, uninterested in the outcome. He was more interested in Dean's reaction. He could see it now, how eager Dean was for a fight. Not so much before, when he was just an unlikely limo driver. But now, inside the warehouse, it was as if Dean had found his people. Eyes sternly focused, Dean's mind was already inside the cage.

With a primal scream, the fighter with the upper hand threw his entire body into a spear, lifting his opponent from the ground and then slamming him onto the concrete. The other man didn't get up after that. Moments later a bell rang, and the cheers were deafening. It sounded like the crowd favorite had prevailed.

The moment gave Dean chills. Now that the fight was over, his mind was once again his own. He looked to his right. Regal was still there, watching him with admiration.

"Thrilling, isn't it?" Regal said.

The cheers had died down abruptly. There was no hero worship as two bloody bodies left the cage, one limping on his own two feet, the other carried. The audience relaxed and began chattering about the next match while someone sprayed a hose at the floor.

Dean took another glance at Regal's suit.

"Are you a bookie?" Dean asked.

"More of an agent, really." Regal replied.

Dean nodded, and looked around the warehouse at an interesting mix of people. There were rich guys and their lady friends, and blue-collar types trying to make some quick cash. Then there were the slick-looking guys taking all the money between fights.

"It's all illegal, right?"

"Oh, quite." Regal answered, though he was sure Dean already knew. A surly young man with bloody knuckles was not going to clutch his pearls. He did seem green, however. Like he'd heard of these places but never knew where to find them or who to ask.

Now he knew. He could feel the electricity. He could feel it in his bones that this is what he was supposed to do. It was everything Coach Michaels tried to make him forget.

His instincts.

* * *

Back on the other side of town, AJ was reminded yet again that this job of hers was not at all what she wanted to do. While she waited for the bartender to complete her latest drink order, AJ glanced around the club. She was always on the lookout, terrified of the possibility that someone who knew her would come into the club. One acquaintance of her parents and her cover would be blown. Then again, maybe that acquaintance wouldn't want her parents to know that they'd been to that club. Even when she was busy, the back and forth of fear and reassurance was always playing in the back of her mind. She had to keep reminding herself that there was nothing wrong with her chosen job, there was nothing wrong with what any of them were doing. It wouldn't be the end of the world if someone found out...but if she could keep it to herself for just one more night, that wouldn't suck either.

AJ glanced up at the stage, where Summer Rae was performing. Her particular act slanted more towards burlesque; she kept a certain amount of clothing on, so it was more of a tease. AJ thought of the Bellas and their vaguely incestuous twin sister act. They'd go on right before Kelly, who was the main draw of the club. She bared it all, and loved every second of it.

All of those girls were naturals at this, while AJ found herself struggling in the role of server. Sure, she could fake it. She had a beautiful smile that got compliments every night. She was witty, and always had comebacks when customers made rude comments. Even if they seemed like animals, she knew how to flirt with them.

She just couldn't help but feel that all the attention was for the wrong thing. She didn't want to be a sex object. She wanted to be respected for her own talent and skill. Just because she was good at it – making the customers feel welcome, and therefore making the customers spend more money – didn't mean it made her happy.

Kaitlyn was good at hiding it too. Everybody loved her, which made AJ happy, since she loved Kaitlyn too. They were each the other's reason for sticking it out. They both made good money there, better money for less hours than any other bartending gig, and for now it was worth the hassle from Vickie and the occasional bad customer. They were saving up for school, and so they could stay in training at the gym. Nothing was going to stop them.

"All set." the bartender called out when he placed the fifth and final shot on her tray.

Summer Rae's mile long legs and sequined tassels dazzled on stage while AJ walked through the darker dining area. She was concentrating on keeping the tray steady, so she wasn't aware of the hand that snuck out to smack her on the ass until it happened. The guy got a good squeeze before letting go. Her first instinct was to dump the drinks and beat him unconscious with the tray, but Vickie's policy was clear: the first ass grab was free. If it happened again, AJ was allowed to give a polite warning. If it happened three times, _then_ she was allowed to call the bouncer over for support.

"You gonna shake that for me later?" the guy asked, clearly trying to impress his friends. They were all watching, waiting for her reaction.

Swallowing her rage, AJ forced a smile and turned to face his sneer.

"I'm shaking it right now, aren't I?" AJ asked. "This way you get to see it up close and personal."

"You could come sit on my lap. That'd be personal." The guy gave his friends a big, open-mouthed grin and laughed at his own joke.

"Just be a good boy, or you'll have to leave, okay?" AJ said sweetly, pretending that his departure would break her little heart.

She turned and pretended not to hear whatever rude comment came next. Their regulars were mostly nice people; they respected the girls and the services they were providing. It was just the douchebags trying to impress their friends that were the problem. But they were douchebags with money, and AJ's revenge would be taking as much cash from them as she could.

With the full tray balanced on her hand, AJ stopped by the entrance where Erick sat on his stool for the night.

"Keep an eye on the guy in the orange polo shirt?" AJ asked.

"I got both eyes on him already, don't you worry." he assured her in a humorless voice. AJ wanted to kiss her big, burly protector on the cheek, but that was against policy too. Only the customers were supposed to get that sort of attention. Vickie would sell them all into slavery, given the chance. It was nice to know there was someone there watching out for them. Someone that was almost seven feet tall, and built like a tractor-trailer.


	7. Party Time

**Chapter 7 – Party Time**

* * *

At the party the following night, Zack stepped out onto the porch with a big red plastic cup full of beer, to see if any new guests were arriving. Down the block, two cars parked at the same time, and four girls came out of each vehicle.

AJ and Kaitlyn had the Bella twins with them, while Kelly, Aksana, Summer Rae and Alicia exited the other car. Zack's wonder and awe increased as they all met up on the sidewalk and formed a stiletto parade headed straight for the party. AJ was dwarfed, since she was the only one wearing her trademark sneakers. She hung near the back, letting the rest lead the way. She didn't feel a need to be part of the spectacle, but she was going to enjoy the reactions.

"Ladiiiiies!" Zack greeted them in a much more appreciative tone than Vickie's.

"We brought reinforcements." Kaitlyn joked.

Zack watched, grinning from ear to ear, as the girls walked through the front gate. They all adjusted their dresses and hair unselfconsciously.

"Hey. Hi. What's up?" Zack said, nodding at each one individually as they passed by. "I'm Zack. You need anything, you come to me."

"Thanks," Nikki flashed him a practiced smile. "We will."

"We'll come right to you." Brie added, patting him on the chest. If she was patronizing him, he didn't care.

"I brought donuts!" he told them belatedly as they walked up the path to what looked like a large, multi-family house.

"Sweetie, we don't eat doughnuts." Summer said over her shoulder.

"You want carrots and celery?" he asked, willing to do whatever they asked. But they were already inside the house.

Kaitlyn and AJ brought up the rear, giving Zack a little more time and attention.

"You like donuts, right Kay?" he asked.

"I _love_ doughnuts." Kaitlyn reassured him. She hooked her arm around his, letting him escort her into the house.

"Hey, AJ." Zack greeted her separately. "The guys are inside, they're gonna be stoked to see you."

"One in particular, I'm sure." Kaitlyn said.

Zack looked around to make sure Dean wasn't around and then leaned over conspiratorially. "He told me to steer clear, if you know what I'm sayin'..."

"I'm catching your drift, Zack." Kaitlyn replied in a hushed voice. "I'm catching it loud and clear."

"Oh boy..." AJ muttered beside them, glancing away and pretending for a moment not to know them.

"Come on, girly." Kaitlyn said, not letting her get away. She hooked her free arm around AJ's and they walked in as a trio. "Let's go find your man."

There was metal blaring from speakers in the living room, and enough people gathered in small groups that it was difficult to spot friends, new or old. As expected, the arrival of the Kitten Club girls commanded a lot of attention. A couple of guys swooped in to introduce themselves and got a patronizing "That's nice..." in return. The girls weren't being paid to please anyone tonight; they were going to meet AJ's friends, and if anyone else impressed them, then they might give them some of their precious attention.

Kaitlyn caught up to the girls and suggested they look deeper into the house for the people they wanted to see. AJ heard Seth call her name, and he placed a hand gently on her shoulder a second later. AJ turned. It felt funny seeing him again, since they'd basically been strangers a few days before. He leaned forward and hugged her hello, in that casual way friends do.

"We're over here." he said, gesturing with his head to follow him. "I see you brought some friends?" he added. When he hugged Kaitlyn, he saw the entourage over her shoulder and his eyes lit up even more.

"This is Seth." Kaitlyn yelled over the music as they parted.

"Hi, Seth." Nikki said in her usual flirtatious way, as she reached up to touch the blonde side of his head. "I love your hairrr..."

Kaitlyn gave AJ a look, and AJ smirked at her as if to say: _I thought this was what you wanted?_

What should have been a small dining room was made up as a secondary living room, with another scuffed up coffee table and another group of old, worn couches and chairs.

"Such a frat house." Summer commented, flipping her hair and secretly loving it.

That extra living room was where Dean was camped out, waiting for his friends to come back. He grinned and got up when he saw them.

"Look who decided to show up." said Seth, leading the parade.

Dean hugged AJ and Kaitlyn hello, and let the surrounding rooms know how excited he was to see them.

"These are my _GIRLS_." he shouted shamelessly. For a second AJ thought he might be drunk but then she remembered it was just his natural state of being. "Oh hey, nice to meet you." he said, suddenly civilized, as he was introduced to the other girls.

In a more normal voice, privately, he asked AJ: "How're you doin?"

"I'm okay." she replied, still feeling reserved and out of her element at such a large gathering. She wasn't just another stranger, but she was short and didn't wear what the other girls were wearing. Even Kaitlyn was wearing a dress. It made AJ feel self-conscious at times, but she'd be vindicated when she sat down on a couch and didn't have to worry about anyone seeing up her skirt.

"Just okay?" Dean asked, mock concerned. His furrowed brow, so exaggerated, drew a smile from her in spite of herself. His worried expression transformed slowly to a smile as AJ relaxed.

"Stick with us," said Dean, turning so AJ could get around the coffee table and get a seat next to him. "We'll keep you entertained." he reassured her.

The girls squeezed in next to each other on the couches and spare chairs. There were so many long, bare legs pressed together it was hard not to get caught gazing at them.

"You want anything to drink?" Dean asked AJ.

"No," she said. "I'm good."

"Whose house is this?" Summer asked Seth.

"Roman!" Seth shouted. "Whose house is this?"

Roman wandered in from the next room. "I dunno, it's rented by a couple guys, right?"

Seth turned back to Summer.

"I have no clue." he said. "But the beer's free, so I'm not complaining."

"I won't either." Summer said with a smile, reclining in her seat like the model-dancer she was.

Roman noticed AJ and Kaitlyn and flashed them a genuine, surprised smile.

"Hey." he said. "Long time no see."

"Howdy, stranger." Kaitlyn smiled up at him.

"You want drinks?" he asked, looking around at the rest of the new guests. They waved and smiled, pleased by a promise fulfilled: an oasis of nice, hot guys. Roman loved the attention, wooing the girls effortlessly with his smile alone. A few of them followed Roman to the kitchen to quench their thirst and calm their social anxieties.

"Are Darren and Justin here?" AJ asked Dean. She sat on the end of his couch, tucked against the arm and barely taking up any room on the cushion.

"They're here somewhere." Dean answered. "Prolly making out."

AJ chuckled, the sound completely drowned out by the music.

Dean slouched in his seat until his head was lower than AJ's eye level, and he peered up at her with ridiculously innocent eyes. AJ knew better. But it was really cute up close.

"Did you work today?" he asked. He was close enough that he could lower his already deep voice and still be heard.

"No," AJ said, her voice softer for his nearby ears. "Just last night."

"Did you work _out_, at least?"

She smiled. "Yeah."

"Good. Wouldn't want those ninja muscles getting weak."

Dean bumped his leg against hers, and they smiled at one another. He folded one arm behind his head, so he could lie there comfortably and continue gazing up at her. It was like he'd already forgotten about the rest of the party.

"How did you do with the town car?" AJ asked him.

"It was pretty cool. I drove this really intense guy to a fight club."

AJ furrowed her eyebrows, figuring he was just messing with her.

"Like the movie?"

"Nah, more like UFC, but illegal. Underground."

"How do you know it was illegal?"

Dean's eyes lit up. "'Cause I watched one of the fights. It was brutal. All caged in, no protective gear. Just blood and knuckles. And everyone had their money out, waving it around like they were gonna punch someone with it."

"Sounds scary..."

Dean shrugged, as if it hadn't occurred to him to think of it that way. As if nothing scared him anymore.

"It was pretty wild." he admitted.

"So who was the guy you were driving around?" AJ asked. "A fighter?"

"I think he was a promoter. Or an agent, or a scout or something."

"Would you ever want to do that?"

"What, the fighting part?"

AJ nodded, still watching his eyes. He glanced away, and thought about it himself.

"I want to." Dean grimaced sheepishly and looked up at her. "Is that bad?"

"Yeah, that's pretty bad." AJ teased him, even though she thought it sounded perfect for him.

"Pretty bad _ass_, I think you meant to say."

"No, just bad." AJ corrected lightly.

"Bad meaning good, though."

"Bad meaning _bad_."

"Like, 'ohh that guy is _bad_, he's so cool'?"

AJ laughed at Dean's impression of someone describing him. He was not going to give up, and she was not going to let him off the hook.

"No," she said slowly. "Like, 'oh that guy is really _bad_ at fighting, someone should go in and scrape his body off the mat."

"Wowww," Dean turned away, pretending his pride was injured. When he turned toward her, his expression was cocky, defensively proud. "Is this little power trip because I let you hip toss me yesterday?"

"You didn't 'let' me."

"I _totally_ let you."

"We had witnesses." AJ reminded him.

"Yeah, witnesses that will corroborate my story, that I allowed you to throw me to the floor of my own basement." Dean reminded her, enunciating through a slight beer buzz.

"I can do it again," AJ offered. "If you need me to demonstrate."

"Okay." Dean readily agreed. "Let's find a room and you can practice tossing me around."

"A room? You don't want witnesses this time?"

"Not for what I'm thinking, no."

Dean's cocky smile relayed exactly what he was thinking. AJ smirked and looked away, hoping she didn't blush. She'd walked right into that one.

"I'm just messing with you." Dean said, pushing his knee against hers.

"Now you're just being 'bad' as in naughty." AJ replied, smirking softly when she glanced back at him.

"I won't argue with that." he said with a triumphant grin. Nothing scared Dean, but the way she looked at him put honest-to-god butterflies in his stomach.

AJ glanced down at her own leg, pretending to pick some lint from her jeans. She was trying hard not to stare at his arms. The way the sleeves of his t-shirt stretched around his biceps was...distracting.

"You sure you don't want a drink?" Dean asked, holding up his half empty second bottle.

"I'm sure." AJ said, an easy answer. "I don't really drink," she reminded him. "And I'm driving besides."

Dean nodded. After a few seconds he leaned forward and put the half empty bottle on the coffee table in front of them. He was suddenly not so interested in the rest of his beer. There were more important things sitting right in front of him.

Roman was back with everyone else that had gone to get drinks. They all found seats on the couches again, but for some of them is was not for very long.

"Oh my god, I love this song!" Summer shouted as a new one came crashing out of the sound system. A girly-girl must have taken over as house DJ, since the song sounded exactly the way Summer looked. She leaned toward Seth. "Do you want to see me dance?" she asked, as if she was working. She really enjoyed her job.

Seth smirked. "I wanna see _all_ of you dance."

Roman smiled and shook his head. Seth laughed when he glanced at his friend.

"Come on ladies," Nikki called out. "Let's show 'em how we do it!"

Kelly, Alicia and Aksana followed Nikki and Summer to the other room, where there was more space to move and a crowd already dancing. Seth wandered over to the doorway so he could sip his beer and watch.

Brie remained by Kaitlyn's side, barely noticing the departure of the other girls. She still wasn't in the mood to party. Roman noticed.

"You okay?" the big guy asked the gloomy twin.

"Yeah." said Brie, trying to fake a non-chalant smile. Kaitlyn smiled along sadly, wishing there was something she could to for Brie.

"Why aren't you out there dancing with your sister?" Roman asked.

She shrugged. "I dance for a living. When I go out I just want to relax, you know?"

"That's fair."

"Why aren't _you_ dancing?" Kaitlyn challenged Roman.

"Why aren't _you_?" he challenged back.

"Because I only know the Robot." Kaitlyn answered defiantly.

Kaitlyn's response got a chuckle out of Brie. At some point Kaitlyn wanted to ask her what was wrong, but as long as her stupid jokes were working, she didn't want to call Brie out in the middle of a party.

Plus, the way Roman was smirking at her was really distracting.

"Well, I don't even know how to do the Robot." he said. "So you've got one up on me."

The girls on the dance floor were really getting into the music. Summer Rae and Alicia had an impromptu dance-off, which ended in sassy snaps and laughter from both of them. Kelly didn't like that Seth was just watching, and she tried to beckon him closer. He laughed and shook his head, so she went to him and showed him what he was missing. She backed him up against the wall, and he happily sipped his beer while Kelly danced up against his body.

The group on the couches stuck together, talking about nothing and everything and having a nice time in general. Roman insisted on seeing Kaitlyn's Robot, and Kaitlyn insisted that she could only do it with AJ's help. Being the good friend she was, AJ got up and dutifully mimed the oiling of Kaitlyn's gears to get her started. Brie actually started to laugh then, so Kaitlyn kept going. In a collaborative effort to cheer her up, Roman and Dean traded stories about the worst fights they'd ever gotten into as kids, like it was a competition to see who had been the most embarrassed. Since Seth was busy in the other room, they told his stories for him, and they eventually decided that Seth was the one who'd been humiliated the worst.

Aksana was on the dance floor with Zack. She didn't speak English very well, and he was having a hell of a time getting her to understand his jokes. After a certain point, Aksana put a finger to his lips to shush him. She placed his hands on her hips and then put her arms around his neck so he would just dance with her. Zack smiled and kept talking through it all.

Summer, meanwhile, had been chosen by Johnny Curtis as his new conquest, and they were dancing even closer than Aksana and Zack, a few seconds away from making out in front of everyone. Maxine was not going to be pleased.

"You have some interesting friends." Dean deadpanned, turning away from the spectacle to look up at AJ. She was watching too, chuckling with Dean at Zack's current predicament. "Just think," AJ said sarcastically. "You could be getting a standing lap dance right now."

She gestured with her chin toward Seth and Kelly. Kelly was bent over in front of him, her ass pressed against his crotch. She raised her upper body slowly, looking over her shoulder seductively as she rose.

"Eh. I do that for Seth all the time," said Dean. "He's a spoiled boy."

AJ laughed at the mental image. "You're a good friend."

Dean leaned a little closer, so he wouldn't have to shout over a new song. "You seem pretty different from them."

AJ could feel his breath in her ear, and his voice made that side of her body tingle. Before she could think of an answer, Nikki and Alicia came dancing over to see why the rest had not joined them in the living room.

"Come onnn," Nikkie whined. "Don't be party poopers!"

The song had changed, a popular one judging by the overjoyed reaction of the dancing crowd. AJ didn't care for it. Neither did Dean.

He leaned all the way over so he could speak directly into her ear.

"It's kinda loud in here." said Dean. "You wanna go outside for a minute?"

AJ glanced at Kaitlyn, who smiled back and raised her eyebrows suggestively. Kaitlyn was having fun and, unlike the last party, she knew the group a little better this time. She'd be okay if AJ stepped out for a few minutes.

AJ turned to Dean. He'd leaned back, but she could have sworn he was even closer than before.

"Yeah." she answered him. He smiled, and waited a second before he got up, so he could look into her eyes for just a second longer.

"I'll be right back." AJ told Kaitlyn. The others that heard her smiled knowingly, and they waved goodbye to Dean too.

"How long should we wait before calling the police?" Nikki teased them.

"Why? You afraid I'm going to hurt him?" AJ deadpanned.

"Oh, please do." Dean begged AJ as they stepped over other people's feet to escape.

Nikki raised a hand like a kitten with its claws out. "Reowr, go ahead then." she said, before sharing a smile with Alicia.


	8. Can I Ask You Something?

**Chapter 8 – Can I Ask You Something?**

* * *

AJ and Dean walked slowly, hands in their pockets and eyes on the sidewalk. The party sprawled outward from the house; there were people hanging out outside, on the porch and in the yard, next to their cars and down the block. They'd have to walk a minute to get some privacy.

"It's nice out." said AJ.

"Yeah." Dean agreed. "I like it when it's like this."

"Chilly, but not too cold?"

"Yeah."

AJ figured weather was a safe subject. Now that it had been discussed, she started to feel nervous again. Part of her wanted to pounce on him and skip ahead to the girlfriend part. That part was fun.

"Can I ask you something?" Dean broke the silence.

"Sure." she said. "I might not answer," she warned, half joking. "But you can ask anything you want."

Dean smiled and glanced at her. "Fair enough."

AJ waited, but Dean wouldn't ask yet – not until they were past the other party stragglers. They got to the corner and crossed the street. Dean made sure to slow his gait so AJ could keep up without having to walk too fast. Dean glanced behind them, and finally asked his question.

"Do you work at that club?"

AJ's first instinct was to play innocent. She'd practiced denying it so many times, in case her parents ever confronted her.

"What club?"

"The one you were running away from, in the rain."

She felt a spike of anxiety in her stomach. "You saw that, huh?"

"It was the only place over there that would have been open that late."

AJ nodded and looked at the ground in front of her, placing one foot carefully in front of the other.

"I'm not judging." he reassured her. "Just curious. Just trying to get to know you."

AJ smiled and glanced over at him. "That's how we know all of those girls. They work there too."

"So...you're all dancers?"

AJ shook her head. "Not me. Kaitlyn and I just wait tables. Short-shorts, bikini tops..."

Dean couldn't help glancing at her body when she described the outfit. Her tight fitting clothes made it all too easy to imagine.

"Why not dance?" he asked.

"It's just...not something I want to do." said AJ. "And it's competitive. Some of them are really good at it. If I'm going to compete, I want it to be in martial arts. Something that's important to me."

"I get that." said Dean. "If you ever do it, I'll come see you."

AJ smiled to herself. "Which, the dancing or the martial arts?"

Dean smiled and shrugged, not committing to either. AJ chuckled and rolled her eyes.

"You shouldn't be embarrassed." he told her.

"I'm not-"

"You're not?" Dean challenged her immediately, calling her out on how cagey she'd been just a few minutes before.

AJ gave him a look of reproach. "It's just weird, telling certain people. You're cool, you seem fine with it, but some people...they treat you different if they know."

"Your parents don't know?" Dean guessed.

"No." AJ stated emphatically, eyes widening at the very thought.

"What, they think you work at a restaurant?"

"They know I work at a club, they just don't know what kind."

"Would your dad really freak out that bad?"

"I don't know..." AJ answered. "I've thought about it a lot. It's not that he would be angry, it's just...he doesn't need more stress. I don't want him to worry about me."

"I bet even if your life was perfect, he would still worry about you. It's a dad thing."

"Yeah. Especially since I'm a girl, his only daughter..."

They got to the next corner, and wordlessly agreed to keep walking that direction.

"Why is he so stressed?" Dean asked.

AJ took a deep breath. It was the story of her family's life.

"He works two jobs," she said. "Sometimes three if he's doing security on the weekends. My mom got really sick a few years ago, so she stopped working, and the medical bills have piled up this whole time."

"Sorry to hear that."

"We're dealing with it. I contribute when I can, but they don't want me to skip on my gym stuff, even though it's looking more and more like I might have to. Just so they can keep living in their house. It's most of the reason I still live there. I would have moved in with Kaitlyn a few years ago if not for all of that."

"Gotta take care of your family. Whatever family you've got left."

"Yeah..."

The sounds of the party had faded completely, and they kept wandering out into the surrounding neighborhood.

"So is your mom okay now?" Dean asked.

"You are asking a _lot_ of questions." AJ pushed back.

"Oh, I've barely scratched the surface." Dean warned with a grin.

She smirked; she was teasing him, but she was also getting uncomfortable talking about herself. She'd be at a disadvantage if she gave too much away.

"You can ask me anything." he offered.

"Hmm..." AJ hesitated, trying to think of a good one. "Well, you know where I work. Do you work for your dad?"

"Part time. Mostly just to fill in when he's down a driver."

"You don't like it, do you?"

"It can be pretty fuckin' boring. I don't like sitting still. Or obeying the speed limit. And I don't like wearing a suit. But it pays alright."

"You're the boss' son, it can't be _that_ bad." AJ teased him.

"Eh, you'd be surprised." said Dean. Then he remembered the level of effort he'd put in to dressing himself the previous night. "He lets me get away with some stuff, I suppose. You just haven't seen him angry."

"Aw, he seemed nice yesterday."

"Oh, that's because there were _ladies_ present. He's an old flirt."

"I think you guys are exactly alike."

Dean's eyebrows rose. "Are you serious?" he said with a chuckle.

AJ smiled at his shock. "What, you don't think so?"

"That is honestly the last thing I thought I'd hear."

"Okay, I've only been around your dad for a few minutes, and I don't know you that well yet. But he definitely reminded me of you when he came down the stairs."

"How so?" Dean asked, reveling in the opportunity to hear AJ describe him in her own words.

"Ohh, if I had to choose one word, it would be..."

AJ hesitated, afraid of embarrassing herself. Dean's gaze was intense, and he wasn't letting her off the hook.

"...swagger?" AJ offered with a wince.

Dean's grin grew wider. "You think I got swagger?" he said, barely able to stop himself from picking her up by the waist and squeezing the cuteness right out of her.

AJ smirked and raised one eyebrow. "Don't get cocky." she said defiantly.

"It's _way_ too late for that." Dean warned her.

"I've noticed." AJ said with a laugh.

"Hey, what does AJ stand for?"

AJ shrugged. "My first and middle names?"

"Smart ass."

"Mm-hm." AJ agreed, nodding and smiling to herself. She glanced up at him, withholding the answer because he was clearly still waiting for one.

"It's not for me," said Dean, still playing it cool. "It's for my dad. He was wondering what it stood for. All these questions are for him, really."

"Maybe I should hang out with him, then."

"If you're into older guys." Dean conceded. "I'll tell my dad to stop by the club, how about that?"

"Oh my god..." AJ muttered, right before she playfully shoved Dean away from her. Dean threw himself against the fence of the house they were walking past, making it rattle loudly as he yelled in mock pain. The face that AJ made during the one second she thought he was really hurt was worth it.

"You did _not_ just do that." she said, looking around to see if anyone had heard his shouts.

"You're so _mean_." he teased, rubbing his shoulder, which AJ was certain felt just fine.

"You're crazy."

"Making me break someone's fence, they're probably calling the cops right now..."

AJ laughed and shook her head. Dean glanced back at the house, and saw someone peeking through their curtains.

"Whoops, we better go."

AJ giggled and shuffled along with Dean as they hurried away.

"You're good at that." she said. "You should be a professional wrestler."

"You think? Nah, that's too safe. I like to hurt people too much."

"You better not hurt me."

"I'd never. You'd hurt me back."

"You better believe it."

Dean chuckled. "You're cute when you're feisty."

"Don't call me 'feisty'."

"That's such a feisty thing to say."

"Ugh." AJ rolled her eyes, even though she really couldn't keep herself from smiling.

"You never answered my question." Dean reminded her.

"About my name?" she asked, stalling for time again. "You don't remember from school?"

"I try not to remember high school, honestly."

"You should have stayed in Spanish 2 with me. The teacher made a big deal when we went over the names of all the months."

Dean's brow furrowed as his mind raced to pick apart her obvious clue. "April?" he guessed, smirking at how hard she was making him work just for this answer.

AJ smiled, not giving anything else away.

"You're middle name's not June, is it?"

"No," AJ chuckled. "He didn't make _that_ big a deal over my name."

"Well I wouldn't know," Dean said, mockingly defiant. "I wasn't there."

"Why did you leave school, so close to the end?" AJ cut in, before Dean could get another question in.

Dean shrugged. "If the end didn't mean anything, it didn't matter how close we got to it. None of us were planning on college, and there was no getting along with the authority there."

"What did your dad think about it?"

"There you go again, interested in my dad..."

"Deeean." AJ groaned jokingly.

"He understood." Dean relented and told her. "The trouble I was getting into, he knew I'd be better off on my own. He was the same way at my age, he remembered what it was like. And look at him now, a successful businessman."

At some point in the conversation, they turned back in the direction of the party. AJ felt like she could keep walking with Dean until they got to another city, but she was also worried about how much Nikki would tease her in front of everyone if they were away from the crowd for too long. So they continued quizzing and flirting with each other, until the sounds of the party could be heard again from a block away.

"I have two more questions." said Dean, sensing the end of their private meeting.

AJ's soft smile let him know that she was ready.

"Do you have a boyfriend?"

AJ could not keep a smile from forming on her face. It was so straight forward.

"No." she answered, equally direct and teasingly so. "Next question."

"Well." Dean started, showing the first signs of hesitation. "Since we've hung out a couple times, gotten to know each other a little better, I was wondering..."

AJ was already filled with a happy, excited feeling, even though her brain was telling her not to get her hopes up too high.

"Can I take you out to dinner and a movie?" he asked.

AJ nodded, playing it cool even though she was jumping up and down on the inside.

"I'd like that."

Dean smiled. "You working tomorrow night?"

* * *

Back inside the house, Roman was surrounded by pretty girls, Dean was nowhere to be found, and Seth was still leaning against the far wall with Kelly. They were standing very close, chatting about each other's hair, a fact made obvious by the way they kept touching loose strands on each others' heads.

Heath Slater thought this would be the best time to humiliate Roman in front of the whole party. Heath strolled up by himself, motioning for his friends Drew and Jinder to stay where they were.

"Well, hey there, Roman." Heath said, shifting his weight to one leg. His fake friendly tone gave his southern accent a confrontational edge.

Roman did not appreciate being interrupted while he was flirting with Kaitlyn. He paused at the sound of Heath's voice, taking a long moment before he looked up. He didn't say anything; he just raised his eyebrows and stared, waiting for Heath to either make his point or turn around and leave at the sight of his death glare.

"I heard you and your 'boys' were workin' for Santino these days." Heath said, with patronizing air quotes and everything.

"Do me a favor, Heath?" Roman asked.

"What's that?"

"Mind your own fucking business?"

A beat passed, as everyone in the room stopped their conversations and turned to look.

Taken aback, Kaitlyn glanced at Roman, wondering if she'd actually heard him right. Roman was staring Heath down hard, blue eyes unflinching. Kaitlyn saw Alicia from the corner of her eye, mouthing the word _'wow...'_ to Nikki. They were all wondering if they should leave, or at the very least move out of the way.

"Oh, but it _is_ my business." Heath said, growing more agitated. "I'm his top guy for two years runnin', and all of a sudden Santino don't wanna talk to me no more. Explain _that_!"

Roman stayed in his seat. It wasn't worth standing up to intimidate Heath. He could do it sitting down.

"I don't have to explain anything to you." Roman said, his voice harder than before. "And if I did work for Santino, it wouldn't be my responsibility to figure out why you suck so bad you can't even keep a two-bit car thief happy."

Jinder and Drew appeared from the crowd of people, flanking their friend. Roman didn't flinch. He didn't even blink. He stared at Heath until Heath forced a laugh and turned toward his lackeys.

"I don't have time for this."

"You should spend all the time you _do_ have looking for a new job, Wendy."

"Stand up and say that to my face." Heath demanded, turning back to Roman and stepping forward.

At that, Roman stood up and looked down his nose at Heath.

Some people in the living room were turning to look, and the shift in mood caught Seth's attention. When Roman stood up to Heath, Seth put a hand gently on Kelly's arm and said he'd be right back. Kelly followed, keeping her distance. The girls watching sensed that Seth had not gone over to help Roman, but to make sure he didn't do anything to Heath.

Roman stood, but he refused to repeat himself.

"The fuck you gonna do, Slater?" Seth asked once he got to Roman's side. "Huh?"

"You're a man short." Heath pointed out, since Dean was still gone, and he had Jinder and Drew behind him.

"And?" Seth asked, clearly amused by the implication. Roman continued staring at the man who'd called him out in a room full of people. Not one fist needed to fly to get his point across.

As if Heath finally realized that, he put his hands up dismissively and tried to play it off.

"Man, I don't need this." he said, forcing another chuckle as he turned away.

"Yeah, no shit." Seth called after him.

The rest of the party guests eyed the remaining pair warily, though they quickly resumed their previous conversations, as if they didn't want to be caught staring.

"Yoooo!" Zack bounded over exuberantly as the atmosphere went back to normal. "That was crazy! You're like, bosses of this house and you don't even _live_ here!"

Roman was still staring a giant hole into the back of Heath's head.

"You alright, man?" Seth asked.

"Yeah." Roman said, rolling his shoulders to get the tension out. He'd been ready for a legitimate brawl. Dean may have been the one with the short temper, but his friends were just as dangerous when pushed far enough.

When Dean and AJ returned moments later, they could feel a tonal shift in the house. Dean could also read his buddies easily.

"Did I miss something?" Dean asked as he rejoined his friends.

"Tell you later." Roman muttered, since they had some things to discuss in private.

"Hey, buddy." Kaitlyn said to AJ as she reclaimed her seat on the couch. AJ stifled her excited smile. She had things to discuss with Kaitlyn later too.

* * *

During the car ride home, the Bellas insisted on singing along at the top of their lungs to whatever was on the radio. After relaxing at the party, Brie had finally decided to forget what was troubling her, even if it was just for the night. She was wasted, yelling at the people in other cars while Nikki yelled at her to keep singing.

"Drink lots of water!" Kaitlyn shouted from her car as the twins helped each other stumble up the walk to their apartment building.

"Should we make sure they get in alright?"

Right as AJ asked, Nikki tripped and almost fell over, grabbing on to Brie. They both started giggling as they caught their balance.

"I think they've had a lot of practice, they'll be okay." Kaitlyn reassured her. "So what did you and Dean talk about?" she transitioned immediately as she pulled away from the curb.

"Oh, Kaitlyn." AJ sighed jokingly, a dreamy smile beginning to form. "Always so desperate for details."

"Don't! Make me pinch you." Kaitlyn threatened, reaching for AJ's thigh. AJ squealed and tried to get away.

"Okay!" she relented. "Both hands on the wheel, jesus."

"Tell me now or I'll drive us into a lake! Was it nice?"

"Yeah, it wasn't awkward at all. We could have kept talking all night."

"Why didn't you?" Kaitlyn asked with a curious smile.

"I didn't want to hear the reactions if we took too long getting back."

"Oh forget everyone else, what does it matter what they think?"

"I know, I know."

"What did you talk about?"

"Mostly me, at first. He was asking so many questions."

Kaitlyn's _ooh!_ rose in pitch as she took in this exciting news.

"Stop." AJ said, features flat with mock-seriousness.

"He's so intrigued! Oh my god, he loves you so much."

"I told him about where we work..."

"For real?" Kaitlyn asked, genuinely surprised. "What did he say?"

"He already knew, since that's where they picked me up the other night. I told him we just wait tables, but he seemed fine with it either way."

"Aw. Now you don't have to worry about him finding out."

"True..."

"Did you ask questions too?"

"You sound like my mom, and I feel like I am still in high school."

"I want to know about this boy, especially if he's going to steal you away from me."

"Nooo, I don't want that to happen again."

"Oh, stop." Kaitlyn scolded her softly. She didn't mean to bring up the Daniel Bryan debacle again.

"For real, though. I feel like I'm in high school again. I was all nervous at first."

"Did he ask you out?"

"We have a date in a few days."

"I knew it! He wanted to take you outside and propose."

"You've really got me on the fast track, buddy."

"I just need you to find happiness so I can once again concentrate on my own."

"You were sitting next to Roman all night, huh?"

"Oh that reminds me, I have to tell you about what happened right before you came back..."

Kaitlyn described the scene, concentrating most of the detail on Roman coming off like a total bad ass. Despite her obvious attraction, Kaitlyn also expressed concern over the comment Roman had made to his red-haired rival, something about working for a car thief.

"It sounded like some real gangster shit."

AJ got quiet, thinking about how Dean avoided talking about what he really did for a living.

"Whatever they're into, they seem to be the ones on top." Kaitlyn mused. "The ginger guy got scurred when Seth came over."

"Sounds like it was intense."

"It was, it was like a record scratch moment, everyone turned to look. Then Roman stood up and it was like, the king has spoken, go back to what you were doing, peasants."

AJ giggled at the image.

"They can take care of themselves, is what I'm saying."

"But we already knew that." AJ leaned back on the headrest and turned to look at Kaitlyn. They shared a smile, remembering their first little get together with the boys.

"That we did." Kaitlyn agreed.

"So you want me to marry this possible gangster?"

"Yes! And I'll be your bridesmaid."

"Of course you will." AJ chuckled, looking out at the road in front of them. Dean was not like her exes - those clean-cut, ambitious boys that she took home to meet the parents without hesitation. But it wasn't like those typical guys had worked out for her in the end. Dean definitely had a naughty streak, but he also seemed down to earth and solid. And, unlike her exes, he understood where she came from, and he was so easy to talk to right from the start.

"I'm excited." she admitted to Kaitlyn, causing her friend to flash a big, excited smile.


End file.
